Beasts of Dathomir
by kamaleen
Summary: Set after the end of season 5, a lot of AU stuffs. Savage survived and Darth Sidious was taken care of by Yoda. Dooku had escaped but that had (nearly) nothing to do with the story. Savage's instinct told him to find his lifetime mate. He ended up learning that Feral was still alive. His instinct screamed that Feral was his mate and Savage knew the courting wasn't going to be easy.
1. Chapter 1

"Remember Savage, you have one week. Use it wisely."

"Yes, brother"

The yellow-skinned Zabrak nodded and watched the ship took off. His brother would only say his name when he saw him as a brother not an apprentice - which happened in a very rare occasion.

Savage continued to watch the ship took off for two more minutes before he pulled the hood of the coat over his head and started walking. His brother dropped him off in the forest near a small town to prevent from having an unwanted attention.

The Zabrak enjoyed his journey through the forest. The forest was pure from both civilization and toxics from town. Others might dislike the wildness of nature and wildlife but Savage cherished it. It's not because his name was relates to wildness or his people being described in Galactic Species book as being near 'primitive'. For Savage, technology wasn't what brought any species away from the word 'primitive', conscious minds were. His tribe knew about technology and stuffs liked that, but they just preferred a different way of life like being close to nature. Wildness was in their blood since nature created them. And in Savage opinion, they should embrace it than try to hide it from prying eyes.

Two large flying raccoon flew over his head. Their high-pitched mating calls could break a glass if used carefully. Savage stopped to watch them flying around for a moment. They amused him a bit. But he knew too well about what their razor teeth could do if he was not careful. So after a moment of watching those two creatures, Savage continued his travel.

This planet was in an outer rim of the galaxy. The name is CX112. It had nothing interesting for both the Separatists and the Republic. The primitive people here looked like a walking lobster with kangaroo's legs covered in chitin.

CX112 was discovered first by one of crime syndicates in the outer rim. First they set this planet up as their base. And then they built a town, hoping to find new source of incomes more than from plundering and kidnapping some famous persons' wives or children.

This plan for new sources of income had proved to be their great success. Now CX112 was one of the top 50 most visited planets of the outer rim by brothels, tablelands, casinos and entertainments. The town expanded as time passed. And it was known as a famous place where bounty hunters could enjoy and spend lots of credits they had earned.

The criminals who now controlled and governed the city had very less problems to deal with. Even the primitive people of CX112 didn't cause much trouble. 'Moitsakazrefraz' or 'Moi' for short were what they were called. The Moitsakazrefraz did not enjoy the civilization of the invaders but they could do nothing. But as long as the 'invaders' did not trespass their territories, the Moi could still tolerate the city.

Savage started to smell the scent of the city and people when he was near the rim of the forest. He came here for a reason and he had one week. His brother would not allow more than that.

The city came to his sight after an hour of walking. Artificial lights glowed in the dark of the night and made eerier lights and shadows on the wood surrounded the city. This city was still on expanding and building new brunches because the business here went so well. Savage knew half of the forest around here would not last more than ten years. But the future of the forest was not his concern.

He reached the outskirt of the city after two hours of leisurely walking. The outskirt of this side was an airport and hangers for ships. The people here paid him no attention as there were a lot of Zabrak bounty hunters living on the outer rim.

Savage made his way to a 4 stars hotel located nearest to the airport. He handed some credits to the employee at the register and they immediately treated him like a prince even when he dressed like an ordinary Zabrak bounty hunter.

The room was good. It had a well decorated bathroom and large bedroom. Savage sat on the mattress and let his gaze wandered around the room and let his mind drifted into his memory, thinking about the reason why he was here.

Savage had somehow survived Sidious's attack. He recovered and lived on. However, he had his consciousness back after the death of Mother Talzin when the plan to take out Sidious failed and made his brother on the run again. Savage did not know how Maul managed to put his body in a recovery tank and hid him from the galaxy for so long until they reached Corascant. But he was glad his brother did this for him. Maul was not a person who often expressed care and love.

**-Flashback-**

When Savage first woke up, he was in the care of a healer. She was a Jedi, and it took the presence of Maul to calm him down before Savage started attacking in panic even when he was still in a recovering tank. Maul explained to him that they would change side. They were now with the Jedi.

And then there was that brown hair Jedi Savage remembered cutting off his arm walking into the room. The Jedi exchanged some words with Maul and his brother nodded. That Jedi then took a glance at him and walked out of the room, leaving them both alone.

Maul then told Savage that he had realized what true power was. But his brother didn't tell him what it was. He only said that they would ally themselves with the Jedi because now they had the same enemy. They both wanted Sidious dead.

And that's how the story went. Savage continued his recovering in the medical bay while Maul made plans with Jedis. Maul even taught some Jedi about material arts and some stuffs he learnt from Sidious. And after Savage had made a full recovery he shared what he learnt from Dooku to the Jedis too, by Maul's command of course.

But they were not the only one giving. The Jedis also shared their knowledge with them. And somehow Savage had to accept their wisdoms and how most of them forgave him about Adi Gallia's death. The Jedi name Kit Fisto even liked to hang out with him sometimes, always telling him that both Maul and Savage could have made good Jedis if the dark side hadn't reached them first.

To cut it short, they cooperated with the Jedi and confronted Sidious.

Some of the Jedi died in the fight but Sidious was now dead by Yoda's hand. However, the former dark lord still managed to take out one of Yoda's arm before Yoda stabbed him in the heart. And the Council of Coruscant agreed to blame this on the Separatist than to tell the truth to the public and had everyone in the Republic suspected that other dark lords might be walking among them or even governing them.

But Count Dooku had escaped, so the war between the Republic and the Separatist still went on. But both Savage and Maul had nothing to do with the war now. Maul had exchanged their cooperation with a promise from the Jedi that they would not go after Maul and Savage anymore, or as long as they both abandoned the way of the Sith, kept low profiles and did their dirty business only in the Outer Rim. His brother agreed to all terms and Savage also agreed with him.

So after Sidious's death, they got a ship and set their destination to Dathomir.

Maul wanted to restore the order and be a new leader of their tribe in Dathomir, to build a new tribe that would not allow the Nightsisters to dominate them. Maul said they would live equally and Savage supported him. He had no liking to slavery. And with Mother Talzin's death, it's easier to set up a new culture for the clan.

As Savage and Maul had expected, the start wasn't easy. The Nightsisters did not accept them as the Nightbrothers did. It's not in Dathomir's culture for the female to follow the male.

But their main problem was Gethzerion, a Nighsisters who wanted to take control of the Nightsisters clan after Talzin's death. Maul knew Gethzerion was going to rule the clan with an iron fist. And he wouldn't allow it to happen. Gethzerion also wasn't very popular within the Nightsisters. They viewed her as a power hungry witch who lack the compassion for her own comrades, friends and family.

Gethzerion was strong, but Maul had known the depth of the darkness she did not have a chance to even touch. After an epic battle for leadership, Maul killed her and went on with his plan.

And after the fallen of Gethzerion, there was another Nightsister who wanted to rule the clan. Her name was Kyrisa. This time Maul did not fight the battle for leadership. He sent Savage in. Kyrisa wasn't as powerful as Gethzerion.

And after a long brutal fight, Savage won and Kyrisa died.

After Gethzerion's death and Kyrisa destroyed, the rest of the Nightbrothers and Nightsisters that survived the war followed Maul's order willingly.

However, the reason why the Nightsister followed Maul and Savage wasn't only because they two powerful witches. But the Nightsisters also followed Maul and Savage because both of them were 'Death-Cheaters'. By one of the old tales of Dathomir, Death-Cheater – male or female – were born to lead.

Biologically, 'Death-Cheater' was a name given to a Zabrak who could survive even with a heart or half of the body destroyed. Their physical abilities were also 2-3 times better than normal Zabraks. If both of their hearts were destroyed or their bodies had received fatal injuries, they would go into an extremely deep sleep –a coma, and would stay that way until their hearts or bodies had regenerated. And it's not too exaggerated to say that the only way to kill Death-Cheaters was to destroy their brains.

Death-Cheaters were very rare. Their super-Zabrak abilities could be transmitted through genetic but most of them were Death-Cheaters by mutation when they were just zygotes. All Death-Cheater were force-sensitive, unknown to the history but 50% of them became a Jedi or a Sith.

Some Death-Cheaters also possessed intelligence that gave them higher ground from the start. Savage experienced this himself. After he found out he was a Death-Cheater, he felt a lot calmer and more collective.

However, this hidden ability of Death-Cheaters such as an ability to regenerate their organs would awake only after the Death-Cheater had received fatal injuries or a long brutal torment. Some of Death-Cheaters died without knowing they're Death-Cheaters, died without knowing their true potential. And if Savage wasn't stabbed by Sidious, he would not have known.

Savage discovered that he was a Death-Cheater after he had awakened after his long coma. Maul told him. His older brother also discovered about his true hidden abilities after he escaped from Sidious' prison by the helped of his Death Watcher minions.

**-End of Flashback-**

Back to the present, Savage was still gazing into the blank space ahead of him. He was thinking about a mate.

Death-Cheaters had an ability to sense their lifetime mate. They would devote themselves to their mates no matter what happened. And Death-Cheaters would know who were their lifetime mates the minute they spotted them. And all Death-Cheaters also possessed an ability to impregnate Zabraks and humans who had the same sex as them. They're also a territorial bastard, once they owned something or someone – it's almost impossible to make them let go if they're unwilling to.

Savage had sensed his mate. He went out to search for a month until he found this planet. His mate was here, somewhere in this city full of chaos.

His brother gave him one week to seek out his mate. However, Savage had a feeling that Maul was also giving himself one week of seeking something out. Savage sensed that Maul had some space in his heart for that Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, more than a rage that had turned into a mutual respect. Savage had suspected that Obi-Wan might be his brother's lifetime mate, but he didn't dare ask.

The yellow-skinned Zabrak pushed his brother out of his mind. Maul's business was something he would not pry on unless it had something to do with him or the new tribe they're creating - even when he had a feeling that his brother was going to mate Obi-Wan someday though.

Savage closed his eyes and concentrated. He sensed that his mate was near. He got up and changed his clothes, deciding to change into something lighter. His lightsaber was well hidden under his long outer shirt. He looked at his reflection in the mirror before nodding and walked out.

* * *

Feral woke up with cold sweat all over his body. His nightmare woke him up as usual. It was the very same nightmare that kept waking him up for years.

Nightmare about the night Savage killed him.

Feral brought his shaky hand up to his neck. Feral examined it carefully before he let his unstable hand touched his neck softy, at the area where those large hands had squeezed. The touch still sent panic and shivers down his spine. He jerked his hand out like it was on fire. His panting echoed the quiet room.

The skinny Zabrak sighed and dragged himself out of the bed. He got up and made his way to the bathroom.

The Nightsisters dumped him in the garage outside their fortress after Savage snapped his neck. What they did not know was that Feral was still alive. He woke up when the rubbish collector ship reached CX112.

Feral was semiconscious when he dragged himself out. Feral made himself to the nearest street which was a district of scavengers and beggars. He looked sick enough to blend in with them and had no problem fitting in at that stage.

His throat healed in 5 weeks. Feral no longer felt the pain and the bruises were all gone. But what wouldn't fully heal was his voice. He could not shout and sometime even whispering made his throat hurt like hell.

Feral used the credits he had earned while pretending to be a beggar to find himself a room to stay. And after cleaning up he went out looking for a job. Feral didn't think about how long he would b staying. He just knew that he had to earn enough credits in case he had to flee.

Finally, Feral got a job in a pub near his place. 'Madame Ravenna dancing club' was the name. It paid well for him who had no interest in spending money than for buying food and paying the rent.

His job was easy, cleaning. He came before the pub opened, cleaned what needed to be cleaned or left from his co-workers for him to clean. When the pub opened, Feral collected the used glasses and cleaned the table after the customer had left. And after closing time, he scrubbed the floor and tables clean. Sometimes he had to help watch the dishes in case the dish washer stopped working.

His co-workers liked Feral because he could not talk much. Well, every employee here knew that he could not talk much. For his co-workers - it meant they could tell him to do their tasks without his arguing. And Feral decided to just let them gave him whatever jobs their wanted. He did not want to make enemy or raised any attention to him. He preferred to be a coward, an omega dog in a wolf pack rather than fighting for his life and got attentions to himself.

Some of the dancers and waiters also liked him – especially girls. Feral was polite by nature. Most of the girls here had endured filthy and dirty words all their shifts, also mystery hands trying to grab their asses or breasts. So despite his caring and understanding eyes - they were very happy to find that Feral would always listen to their complaining and cursing about the customers. And what made them liked Feral most was that he would not talk much and no one would be interested in listening to him, meant that he would not sell them out.

Still, there was still another type of dancers who enjoyed having Feral around for other reasons. If the pub was a wolf pack, Feral would be an omega wolf while these dancers were alpha wolves. They were special dancers who rarely performed on stage. But when they're out, it meant 'Lap Dance time'. They usually perform a lap dance only for VIP customers in private rooms, and would perform a lap dance once a week for lucky customers that caught their eyes when they came to dance on stage. Their shows were always alluring and extremely sexy.

This type of girls always enjoyed bitching and ordering Feral around. In the employee's social ranks, cleaner was the lowest rank of all. And Feral had the lowest rank in all cleaners here. So it's very normal to see Feral being around to get them something or cleaned their shoes, heals, feet or whatever before and after their show.

Feral did not mind being ordered around. Of course he did not like extra-tasks that did not give him credits. But if it made him looked plain and unworthy for attention, he was more than willing to endure.

Today was like those days before. Feral got up because of the nightmare dragged himself to the bathroom. He had just 4 hours sleep but he did not mind. He washed his face and cleaned his teeth before taking a shower. It was still 8 hours before he had to be at the pub, so Feral decided that a short nap before work was okay.

He arrived at the pub on time. It's just 5 minutes walk from his place. The bartenders were already there when he arrived. They smiled at him and Feral smiled back. These two Nautolans were very friendly and easy going. But Feral had witnessed what would happen to the people who messed with them. Even the Devaronian guards of the pub were scared of them if they're in bad mood. However, they're still the coworkers he liked most.

"Hi, how are you this afternoon?"

Jeret, a light brown male Nautolan bartender greeted him when he walked in. He was one of the friendliest employees of the pub when he wasn't in a bad mood.

"Good," Feral nodded "and I'm ready for work."

"You don't have to be early every day you know," Janeta, Jeret's sister and also a bartender said while arranging the glasses on the counter "that cold-blood has never been early."

"I cannot do that," Feral shook his head "Mister Rakza wants me to be on time every day even when he isn't here."

"Oh, just ignore him." Janeta waved her hand when Feral mentioned about the head of the cleaners. He was a mean Fondarian who liked to boss Feral around just like the special dancers. And Jeneta always told him to 'shut the fuck up and do a fucking work' whenever she heard him bossing Feral around.

"That bastard is a coward." Jeret added. Liked his sister, Jeret always told Rakza to shut up whenever he heard the Fondarian bossing Feral around.

"He's not that bad." Feral murmured and walked to the back door with 'Staff Only' printed on it. However, he still heard Janeta harsh words commented on other coworkers of the pub.

"Yeah, if you compare him to those special 'whore' dancers…"

Feral sighed. He knew the head of the cleaners was a bastard and a dirty man who loved to grab any asses that came near him. Male or female's was not the problem for Rakza at all, that guy could take just anyone to warm his bed. And the only thing that prevented Feral's haunch from those filthy hands was because Rakza feared he might fight back. Being a Zabrak gave Feral an advantage, everyone knew his specie was built to be a fighter. Even when Rakzu always bossed him around, Feral knew the older man was still afraid he might cross the line.

At the Staff room, Feral put his dinner he brought from the nearby store in his locker and put on an apron. Tonight was going to pass like other nights before, even when his instinct telling him that something was going to happen tonight.

The night went on and Feral tried to find some fun in the job he was doing as always. He was called to the special dancers' room as always and was sent out with pile of heels they ordered him to clean. Feral knew he was a cleaner not a maid, but he did it nonetheless.

The special dancers was gossiping about tonight special guess when Feral returned to them with their heels. He also had heard that tonight the pub was going to have a special guess - a super VIP of sort, who wanted to have all eyes on him when he was here. That meant he would not be in the VIP room, but sitting in the main hall with other customers.

The girls' gossiping had Feral knew this VIP guest had booked the table that would allow the best view from the stage. So the owner of the pub immediately changed the schedule of tonight shows from normal to shows from their special dancers. Feral guessed this VIP customer must be very important to them. But Feral didn't stay around them for long. He had a feeling that they would start giving him tasks after tasks again.

After returning the special dancers their high-heeled shoes which were scrubbed clean, Feral went back to his normal chores. He wished tonight to end quickly because Janeta and Jeret promised him a drink after work.

* * *

The building in front of him was huge and well decorated. A sign above a large double door read 'Madame Ravenna dancing club'. The loud music that came out told him how the atmosphere inside was. This was the place for drinkers or someone who wanted to pick a nice girl to warm their beds.

Savage dislike the thought that his mate might be a slave dancers. He did not want anything to do with the slave traders. However, he pushed his thought back and walked into the pub.

There were a lot of people in the pub already. On the mini stage on the left side of the main stage contained poles and pole dancers. Most of them were Twi'leks and Zeltrons. On the right was a mini stage for a music band with a female Theelin singer.

The song was about sex, drugs and unfaithful love. Savage wasn't affected by it liked many others in the pub were. He had seen enough deaths to know the real dreadful pain. He was stabbed in the hearts once, and once was enough.

A cute Twi'lek waitress came to get the order. Savage told her to get one mug of strong liqueur. She nodded and left, probably planning on stealing his credits after he was drunk enough. Savage smirked at that thought because Death-Cheaters could cleared up the alcohol in their systems as quick as consuming it. That meant he could not get drunk, not by alcohol.

The waitress returned with his mug and left him with it. Savage observed the room. Despite the lewd lyrics, the melody and tone of this song was good. And Savage wondered if anyone decided to put a better lyrics for the melodies, this song could become a very sweet one.

After a minute or two, the pole dancers came to the mini stage. The music continued while the crowd cheered. A new group of dancers appeared on the mini stage and started another round of pole dancing. This new group of dancers contained two Twi'lek and three Zeltrons. They swung their hips and legs to the music while taking off some clothes just to make the crowd cheer more and tip more. Savage watched with his expression unchanged. On Dathomir, the Nightsisters' clothes always left nothing for imagination anyway.

* * *

Feral sighed while he scrubbed the dirty floor clean. After he returned the heels to those dancers and got back to his duty at the hall, Rakza called for him again. He walked to the Fondorian's private room and found his boss fumbling with his clothes. It seemed like tonight guest was very important because Rakza was trying to wear a proper suit. However, Feral had nothing to do with Rakza's suit. His boss called him in to take care of the mess he made while trying to put himself in this outfit. The mess contained broken glasses of liqueur bottles and a mug. Feral guessed Rakza must had knocked them down while struggling around the room.

How Rakza made this mess was not his concern though. Feral immediately got to work when he saw what was needed to be clean. And Rakza left the room after he finished with his outfit while Feral was still picking up pieces of glasses.

The cleaning took a while before Feral finished everything. He sighed and gathered his tool before walked out. Today the hall was very crowded. Feral assumed that it might be because that VIP guest.

"Did I miss anything?"

Feral asked Jeret when he got back to the hall. This time it was very crowded, the most crowded night Feral had ever seen.

"No" Jeret shook his head. The Nautolan also had a cocky grin on his face. ", but we're about to see that VIP guest. I heard our 'mistress' and her husband said that he would be here soon."

"And how did you hear that?"

"They came here minutes ago, ordered something strong and spicy for him. Janeta is on it now." Jeret answered before he turned to take the order from a new customer that walked to the bar.

Feral nodded and went back to his chores. He did not feel like squeezing through people to get to any tables he had to clean. It's not that he had a phobia about crowd but Feral just hated when anyone touched his throat. His body would freeze in fear of having a neck snapped again. Feral tried to tell himself numerous time that he was safe now, no one knew he was alive, but his body just didn't get it.

The VIP guest turned out to be one of the captain of the pirate gang that found and ruled this city. He was a Fondorian in his middle age in his typical pirate suit. Atmoss was his name, and he was known for his generosity of giving any pubs hand full of credits if their dancers could please him enough.

"Oh, it's Atmoss." Janeta chuckled when they saw who the VIP guest was. Feral crooked his head, he was not sure why Janeta was amused.

"No doubt why our bosses changed the show. They hope to attract him enough for credits. And I guess some of the dancers might want to sleep with him. He paid well if any of them can please him enough." Jeret said to Feral's curious face. The male Nautolan seemed to be amused too.

"I see," Feral nodded "but that doesn't explain why tonight is so crowded."

"Atmoss is a celeb here." Jeret rolled his eyes. "He is famous and many people want to see him. By the way, if he is here it means free show from special dancers."

"Atmoss always announces where he will be going every times he wants to hang out with his minions." Janeta continued. "That scum needs attention all the time. Who lick his boots most always get paid most."

"Still, Atmoss controls all of the fuel stations for ships." Jeret added "That bastard does know how to make money. And if he hadn't done so well in managing the fuel stations, the head of this city might have ordered him to be executed a long time ago. Dagur isn't as forgiving as some of his men."

"I see," Feral nodded. He had seen Dagur, head of the criminal who formed this city once and understood why this man could be in power for so long. Dagur is ruthless and cruel but he was good at management and knew who should be put down and who should get a raise.

Feral was about to ask Jeret and his sister how they thought of Dagur. But he decided against it and took off when he saw a customer brought up his hand to call for a cleaner.

* * *

Savage was still looking around the pub which seemed to be a lot crowded. He sensed anticipations and curiosity around the pub. Most of them were sent toward the new group of guests which were just arrived. Savage watched the new group walking around the pub with two Zeltrons leading the way. The Zeltrons didn't dressed like any employees here, Savage guessed they must be the owner of the pub. And this people, especially the Fondorian in who was walked between the two Zeltrons, must be very important here.

The former Sith apprentice searched from the Galactic network and raised his eyebrows when it showed him who the guest was. And Savage understood why this man looked so familiar. He had seen this guy on the 'List' before, list of wealthy people with price tags on their head. However, the Zabrak didn't pay him much attentions, he was still looking for his mate, his instinct told Savage his mate was near.

And then Savage saw him – his mate. He knew it the minute he saw that Zabrak, an elegant body walking through the crowd in a shabby outfit. His mate was a Dathomirian Zabrak, which surprised Savage. He hadn't thought that a Dathomirian Zabrak would have a chance to be away from Dathomir. The transportation were all (once) controlled by the females.

Savage watched that figure moved through the crowd, dodging dancing and drunken customer while carrying the plates and glasses to the back door. His instinct told him to follow but Savage kept himself still. He had to act calmly, no rushing. His former self had made many mistakes by rushing things before. He would not make the same mistakes as when he was just a vicious beast.

However, when that Zabrak came back Savage got a chance to see his face. And that made him gasped.

* * *

Feral hummed a song to himself while he opened the door to the main hall. The dishwasher was working as it should be and that made Feral happy. He had asked Rakza to replace it once because it always stopped working one day per week. But Rakza just ignored his request and let him washed all the dishes.

Many special dancers had come out when Feral returned. They're extremely alluring and seductive. He watched some of them sedated those lucky customers while three of them approached Atmoss. These three special dancers were two Zeltrons and one Twi'lek. Feral knew them of their beauty and blacked hearts. However, this place was where people fought for dominance all the time and all he could do was to put up with it.

The main hall was super crowded today. Feral didn't like to squeeze though people but he had to do it anyway.

The Zabrak was squeezing himself through the crowd when he felt like he was watched. Feral turned around slowly, acting calm, but he saw no one watching him. A shiver ran down his spine and his instinct screamed for him to run, to flee.

The Zabrak looked around again, and this time he saw someone familiar, sitting in the corner of the hall. The upper part of the stranger's face was hidden by a hood. However, Feral was still able to see the eyes glowing from the shadow the hood created. The eyes of the beast, the monster, he once knew.

Fear gripped his heart and Feral took a step back. His heart was beating so hard he couldn't hear anything else. His eyes were still looking at the stranger in the corner who looked back. And when the stranger got up from his seat, Feral turned back and quickly made his way through the crowd to the back door.

Once he reached it, Feral waited no time to set his plate aside and opened the door. Cool air greeted him but he didn't care. His things was still at his locker but he didn't care. He just ran out.

Feral ran and ran. He jumped over a trash can and nearly bumped into a drunken Toydarian. And suddenly everything was like he was back at the final round of the Selection on Darthomir, the test of Elevation. But this time the one chasing him was not Ventress, but Savage.

He started seeing the last time they were together surfaced. Savage did everything to make sure he would survive each challenge. But in the end, it's Savage who tried to kill him…

"Brother wait!"

He heard Savage called his name and that snapped Feral out of his memory. He only ran faster. Savage called him again but Feral had no intention to slow down. He kept on running liked there was no tomorrow. The memory he had tried to push from his mind started to surface back again one by one. First was the arrival of Ventress. Then it was the Selection. Then it's the Nightsisters came to take him. He was beaten and they let him laid unconscious in a cell. Then those Nightsisters dragged him out to meet Savage. He pleaded for his life and Savage snapped his throat.

"No!"

Feral shouted and kept on. He tried to block the image away. He pushed himself more and more. Feral jumped over a building and nearly missed a step. He stumbled forward and pushed himself to keep running. He still heard Savage running after him. The other's footsteps sounded closer and closer. And the more Savage closed the space between them, the more the memory started to take control of his vision.

"No! Get away from me! Leave me alone!"

He shouted, his eyes were blind with the image from his memory, the memory of Savage snapping his neck. He saw that dark face, blank eyes and his hand instead of the building in front of him. Feral shouted in fear and he missed the step while he jumped to the next building. That mistake sent him down to the ground below.

He hit the ground and pain shot through his body. Feral screamed in agony. But the pain made an illusion go away. Now he could see clearly again. Feral panted, realized now that he was lying on the ground with a throbbing leg not at the Nightsister's fortress.

His ears were still ringing from the impact. Feral didn't hear Savage shout his name when he fell. In his head he repeated one word like a mantra.

Run, run,run,run,run…

But he could not go on. He could not get up. His legs and head hurt liked hell. The last thing he saw before his conscious would be consumed by darkness was a tall dark figure dropped down in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing he felt was warmness. Feral stirred and cracked his eyes opened. The first thing he saw was whiteness. And then he realized he was lying on his side and facing white clean wall.

White Wall?

Feral frowned. He remembered that the wall of his room was grey not white. And the pillow wasn't this soft.

He turned his body slowly so he could sit up without feeling giddy. After he had properly sat up Feral looked around. He was in a bedroom, a very well decorated one.

Where?

Feral looked around and saw a symbol on a lamp on the nightstand near the bed. He remembered seeing this symbol on a building somewhere in this town. It was a symbol of a 4 stars hotel if he remembered it right.

"Why am I here?"

He looked around and froze when a familiar scent hit him, Savage's scent.

_Savage brought him here? Is Savage here too?_

He started to panic. And speak of a devil, the door slid opened and Savage walked in. His brother was in a loose long sleeve black shirt and black pants, bared feet.

"You're awake." Savage stated, his voice was low and calm. Feral felt his chest constricted, his vision started to get blurry. Panic had set in but he didn't know what to do or what he should do.

"Feral?"

Suddenly Savage's voice was so far away - as same as his vision. The panic set in but he could do nothing. Both flight and fight instincts fought each other while his brain tried to process what it should do. Feral felt his breathing got on an accelerated pace. And suddenly there were hands on both of his shoulders.

"Feral!"

His name was the last thing Feral had heard before darkness consumed his vision again.

* * *

Feral did not know how long he had been out. But when he woke up again he was on the same bed as before. The Zabrak looked around in panic but he saw no one coming. The scent was still there but Feral kept calm and got up. He had met Savage twice but he was still alive, maybe Savage didn't come here to kill him.

Feral looked around again before he saw a hologram message recorder on the nightstand near the light. With curiosity, he picked it up and pushed the bottom 'play'.

Savage's hologram appeared. His brother's posture looked calm but his face showed a bit of concern. And Feral had to restrain himself not to flinch when the hologram appeared.

'Hello brother, if you got this message it means that I'm not back yet. Please, I mean no harm to you. I come here because I have something to talk to you. Please don't go.'

The message ended there and Feral replayed it two times. He was thinking hard. Should he trust Savage?

In the end Feral decided that he would wait. If Savage wanted to kill him he could have done it two times by now. Maybe this Zabrak he once knew really meant him no harm.

Feral decided to get out of the bedroom and went explore the hotel room he was staying. It was a good room indeed. Outside of the bedroom was a living room with a long comfortable couch and a hologram television.

Feral was thinking about exploring the bathroom when he heard the door made a 'click' sound. And he turned in time to see Savage walked in with two brown bags.

Savage looked surprised to see that he was still here. Feral swore he felt like Savage suddenly smiled when their eyes met. Maybe Savage had expected him to be gone already after he woke up.

His younger brother was in front of him. Feral took a step back. He wasn't sure that should he approach Savage or not. So he decided to let Savage made the first move.

"You didn't go."

His brother stated, voice full of surprise and happiness. Feral gulped and nodded. His voice seemed to be temporary gone.

"Feral…" Savage tried to talk again. It seemed that his brother had lost his voice temporary too. But Savage was not the one who had a hard time expressing what he wanted to do without words.

Feral took another step back when Savage walked toward him but he couldn't back away further because he saw pain in Savage's eyes the minutes he moved. So Feral ended up standing there until Savage was standing in front of him. His brother was easily towering above him already. Savage's bright glowing yellow eyes with red rings at the outer rim of the pupil showed an emotion Feral wasn't sure he got it right. At first he thought it was love, but then how could Savage look at him like that? Feral was now useless for Savage.

Savage extended his arms toward his brother before the smaller Zabrak could back away. Feral opened his mouth, trying to make a sound or at least a screech or a whine to tell his brother he was afraid. He couldn't do both and froze in place when Savage's hand landed on his shoulder before the larger Zabrak pulled him into a hug.

The embrace was gentle but secured enough that Feral would not be able to get away. His brother tightened his embrace and Feral felt an unfamiliar relaxing warmness spread from his heart to every parts of his body. Savage's chin was on his shoulder before the nose moved to rest against his neck and inhaled. Feral gasp and yelped like a scared animal. And that made Savage immediately pulled away - like he was afraid he was going to hurt Feral. However, his hands were still on Feral's upper arms.

"Are you alright?" Savage asked, his face showed true concern "Did I hurt you?"

Feral shook his head. He did not know which question he was answering. But Savage took that he was answering all of his three questions.

"Feral, your voice, did I..?" his brother continued and then gasped. Feral shook his head again; he heard guiltiness in Savage's voice and could not stand it.

"No" Feral finally forced himself to choke the word out. He looked at Savage in the eyes and tried to continue. "I just can't talk much. It hurts. My throat hurts."

Savage looked at him and Feral looked back liked a scared animal praying that it won't be eaten. He wanted both to stay here and comfort Savage or just flee from this room right now.

"I'm so sorry brother." Savage finally whispered. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched. His eyes were glittered with guilt which made Feral's heart ached. The larger Zabrak breathed in Feral's scent before he continued with his apology again. This time his voice held such a deep emotion. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Feral whispered back. He did not intend to whisper but he just could not talk louder. Some parts of him still told Feral to just flee but he decided against them. This was Savage; and he was sad. Feral had to comfort his brother. "It's okay Savage, really."

"No, it's not." But Savage shook his head and pulled away violently, telling him he didn't believe what Feral said.

The smaller Zabrak nearly stumbled forward. Fear gripped his heart but Feral kept his calm. He watched Savage paced back and forth in front of him. His heart ached for the missing warmness from his brother's body. But he did not make a move to touch Savage. He was too afraid to touch his brother.

"I choked you Feral. I know I had; and I almost killed you. I deprived you of your voice and nearly of your life." Savage said and it snapped Feral out of his thought. His brother's voice was hard and so were his eyes. "That's entirely not okay. I'm a monster."

Feral gulped. But he knew Savage wasn't blaming him. Savage was blaming himself.

It had been like this since Savage reached his puberty. If something wrong happened with him or Feral, Savage always blamed himself. And Feral did not like this habit at all. He hated to see Savage blaming everything on himself like this. It always made him angry.

"You are my brother." Feral immediately worked up his courage and shook his head. His brotherly instinct kicked in and his anger of his inability to comfort Savage suddenly subdued all his fear. He could not stand watching or listening Savage suffered for the actions he didn't intend to make. He knew Savage was not himself when the Nightsisters ordered his brother to kill him. He saw they did the dark ritual and knew that right now Savage wasn't under any spell. Savage who he was talking to now was himself, not a puppet of the Nightsisters.

"Feral?" Savage blinked, "but I…"

"No, stop speaking and listen." Feral decided to shut Savage up before his brother could finish the sentence. He had had enough of this. "You were brainwashed when you choked me. It's okay Savage. You are not a monster. You are my brother."

"You're not upset with me?" Savage titled his head a bit before he asked, a habit he still had since he was a child. A habit that always had Feral smiling and it's also a habit that Savage will show when he was with Feral only.

"I'm not." Feral smiled, hoping that Savage will believe him. "Believe me I'm not upset or anything."

Savage looked at him and Feral looked back. It took a while before Savage opened his mouth again. And Feral hoped that Savage would stop blaming everything on himself already.

"I'm… I'm so sorry." But in the end Savage shook his head and walked away from Feral. He almost kicked the chair while making his way to the other side of the room.

"And I accept your apology." Feral titled his head and followed Savage to where he sat down on the cough. Savage looked at him. Bright glowing yellow eyes met warm pale yellow eyes. And Feral had no intention to look away.

"Okay," his brother finally nodded ", okay"

"Good," Feral nodded and sat down beside his brother. His fear suddenly disappeared. And it's good to be sitting side by side again. He just realized how much he missed Savage. Feral then asked "now tell me Savage, why are you here?"

"It's a long story." Savage sighed. He looked unsure to continue but did it nevertheless. "To cut it short, I came here because of you."

"Me?" Feral titled his head. His heart fluttered with a strange feeling he couldn't identify. But it made he felt warm and… loved. "You know I'm still alive?"

"No," his younger brother shook his head "I did not know. I've gone through a lot of …adventures, both enjoyable and not so enjoyable. I had found Maul. He is also our brother. Mother gave him to the Sith to keep him away from the Nightsisters."

"Another brother?" Feral immediately smiled. He always loved to know someone new, especially his brothers. "Really? That's great."

"Yes," Savage nodded before decided to go straight to the point. "But Maul and I are Death-Cheaters. And I came here because I've sensed a mate."

Feral gasped at Savage's word. He had heard about Death-Cheaters from the tribe's tale. But Feral had half believed of it to be true. By the way, the name 'Maul' brought some memory back to him even when he was still beaming at the thought that they had one more family member that was still alive.

"Wait, Maul? You mean Darth Maul, that fearsome Sith lord?" Feral asked "Is he a Sith lord? And you two are Death-Cheaters?"

"Yes" his brother nodded and Feral gasped. "But don't worry. We're not going to do any Sith Business anytime soon. And yes, I'm a Death-Cheater."

"That's…amazing." Feral was gaping now. His brain was trying to process all the information he just had got. "I've two Death-Cheaters as brothers. And what did you say about coming here? To find a…?"

"I am here because of my mate." Savage replied, his eyes looked at Feral carefully. "I've sensed my mate."

"Oh," Feral recalled his memory about Death-Cheater the old told him and tried to block Darth Maul's story away for now. And his eyes started to glitter with excitement again when he thought of having his family extended. So Feral continued quickly. "So you sensed a mate and you came to find her. Hmm, I see. Have you found her yet?"

"Yes" Savage nodded and continued softly. His eyes held a lot of emotions that Feral still didn't see. "And it's 'him'."

"Male couple? No problem with me." His smaller brother smiled, patting him on his shoulder. "The pregnancy might be a bit difficult for your mate but don't worry, I know you two are going to make it..."

"Feral," Savage decided to interrupt, "It's you."

"I will give you my blessing in your wed-… what?" Feral's eyes widened when he heard Savage's words "wait, did you just say it's me?"

"Yes" Savage nodded again. His eyes did not leave Feral as he spoke "I sensed a mate. And it's you."

"But…" Feral gapped "…that's impossible. I'm you brother."

"Not by genetics." Savage smiled softly, holding one of Feral's hands in his. "Death-Cheaters are mutant. We did have the same mother but our genes have nothing like each other's. In biology's view, there is no wrong for us to mate. Our genetics aren't the same since the start."

"But how will others think?" Feral asked, "won't they think it's awkward or… disgusting?"

"Death-Cheaters are the highest species in Dathomir and Iridonia." Savage answered, keeping his voice calm and unhurried. "By the way, there're a lot of species that mate with the same sex and provide healthy children. You don't have to worry about this subject."

"But it still feels… wrong." Feral replied, he hated to sound so timid but he couldn't help it. Savage was persisting and he didn't know what to do. He wasn't ready for this. Just having Savage here and didn't want to kill him had already given him a headache. He hid his face in his hands, prayed that Savage wouldn't get angry and decided to kill him instead.

"It's okay, you don't have to agree right away," then came a soft reply and a hand squeezing his shoulder lightly. Feral put his hands down and looked at Savage. His brother was looking at him with such passion and love in his eyes that it nearly made Feral blushed. And he knew Savage saw it because his brother gave him a knowing smile.

"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to. We can still be brothers and lived like ones." Savage continued. His voice was measured and soft. And feral wondered when Savage learnt to be this gentle and delicate. "But remember, I cannot changed a mate once I've sensed mine."

Feral gulped at Savage's last sentenced and nodded. At least his brother wasn't going to force him and they could still be brothers, for now.

They talked about how they've been doing. Feral didn't have much to tell but he enjoyed listening to Savage's story. And he couldn't resist the urge to caress Savage's arm after his brother told it was once cut off.

"It's okay. I'm not in pain." And Savage had to reassure him at some point that he was really okay. He just finished the part when Yoda put an end of Sidious and saw that his brother was sad. "I've fully recovered. All wounds were healed."

"I cannot imagine what you've been through for all this time." Feral said. And he was sad without a reason, just knowing what Savage had gone through. "You've been through so much."

"Don't be sad," come Savage's hand, titled his face a bit so they're looking at each other eyes to eyes. "I've also done a lot of terrible things. It's okay now. Everything is over. Now I'm focusing on Dathomir. We're going to make a better place for our people."

"Tell me more about Dathomir."

Feral said and Savage happily obliged. He told Feral about the fights for power and how Maul became the leader of the clan with him as his second in command. He told Feral about how their village had changed, how they expanded the fortress. Maul wasn't traditional, even for a Nightbrother who spent most of his life far away from his homeland, but he put up with some of the tradition well. And the end of the slavery was the biggest change Savage could hope for. Feral was gasping and gaping when Savage told him that now the Nightsisters and the Nightbrothers were equal.

They talked for more than three hours before Feral decided that he had to prepare for tomorrow. And Savage decided to pout like a child when Feral said he had to go.

"Come on, don't do that." Feral chuckled when he said Savage acting like he was five years old. "I still have work to do. I can't just disappear."

"Fine," Savage sighed, watching Feral getting up with sadness in his eyes. Feral knew his brother was 100% disagreed with him but just didn't say it right away. And instead of persisting, Savage asked Feral another question, "But how long have you planned to work here?"

"I… don't know." Feral gulped. His voice told Savage that he was unsure. "I really haven't planned anything. I just… work. I really don't have thought about anything else."

"So…?" Savage crooked his head aside, still looking at Feral. "Will you consider quitting any time soon?"

"I…" Feral was stunned and tensed up by that question. He looked really unsure and uncomfortable. "…I'm not sure. I need time to think."

"Okay," his brother sighed and stated. "But everyone Nightbrothers wants to see you again. You're one of the Nightbrothers we love most."

"I don't know Savage," Feral shook his head, stepping away from his brother. He blushed a little at Savage's statement but still managed to talked with his voice firm. "I really need time. I've died once and I don't know will it's going to be the same."

"Alright, alright." Savage showed both of his hands as to say that he would not push this matter further. "But I will still visit you tomorrow. And I will take you back to your place tonight."

"Okay," Feral nodded, knowing that there was no way he could change Savage's mind. And they walked side by side to Feral's place. Savage didn't follow him inside though, just bid him goodnight in front of the building before he walked back to his place.

"This is too much." Feral said when he was lone. He locked the door and dropped down on his bed, still processing what he had just known.

But after spent twenty minutes brooding on his latest memory, Feral decided to drop it all and went to bed. He still had a job to do tomorrow and he also might have to talk to his boss. No one might not notice his absent last night but if his boss did, they're going to have a long talk.

* * *

However, Feral couldn't believe his luck when he arrived at his work place in the afternoon. The only people who noticed his absence were the Nautolans.

"There you are," Jaret called him when Feral walked into the hall. "Where have you been last night? Why didn't you come to have a drink with us after work? I remember promising you a drink!"

"I forgot, sorry." Feral immediately lied. He trusted Jaret and Janeta, but not enough to tell them everything.

"Hmmm, that's fine. Everyone will be super exhausted if they have to scrub Rakza's floor clean." Janeta winked at him. "I've heard other cleaners talked about this and expressed how happy they're to not be that unlucky. Well, did he soaked his own floor that bad?"

"Pretty bad," Feral smirked, relieved that the both Jaret and Janeta seemed to believe his lie. "But there's nothing I couldn't handle. How was last night by the way? I don't remember anything much besides scrubbing the floor and squeezing through people. Did our special dancers impress Atmoss?"

"They did." Jaret answered with a smug grin on his face. "I think he came in his pants once when one of the Twi'lek special dancers had her ass pressed to his crotched and did her job to gain his attention…"

"And credits," Janeta interrupted with a smirk, "and they succeeded."

"Well, judging from their clothes, it's quit an easy win." Jaret shrugged with a smirk. "Those dudes get erections since they saw these dancers stepped out in their slutty outfit. All they have to do is anything seductive and arousal, and cleavages always work. And even I got erection sometimes after watching them. Luckily I haven't come in my pants yet."

"I can image that." Feral nodded. He had witnessed those special dancers made some people came from their lap dances. But they didn't seem to mind having their clothes ruined as long as their customers tipped them well. And guess who was so unlucky to have to clean their ruined clothes sometimes? Feral.

"By the way," Janeta continued and that snapped Feral out of his thought. "Tonight Atmoss will be here again. Our dancers were doing a great job last night and he was very pleased with us. He even took two dancers back to his quarter last night."

"Then this place is going to be too crowded again?" Feral stated, already feeling bad about tonight's job. He didn't like squeezing himself through drunken people. When people were drunk they knew nothing about where they were and what they were doing. And they always made problems if the security guards of the pubs didn't throw them outside quick enough.

"Probably," Jaret gave him an understanding look. More people also meant more works for Jaret and Janeta. "He love crowds. That bastard needs attentions all the time."

They continued their conversation a little bit more before Feral decided that it's a time to get change. So he went to the staff room and put on his apron. There were still dishes to clean and tables to wipe.

* * *

The time went by and Feral made sure that he would be less preoccupied as possible. How could he not be preoccupied? Last night was so… intense. Feral didn't know what he really should do. Should he go back to Dathomir with Savage? Will Dathomir welcome him back? What will the other Nightbrothers thought of him? And above all, Savage said he was his own blood-related brother's mate. Will Savage be patient enough to not violate him when the time comes? He really didn't know. He didn't even know who to trust.

He was all alone.

"Hey!"

Then someone snapped his fingers in front of Feral's eyes. And that brought the Zabrak back to reality. He turned to that person and was relieved that it's just Jaret. If it's Rakza who found him in this state, he would be scolded and others would know that he had been preoccupied. He didn't fear of being scolded or others knew he was preoccupied, Feral feared that they would know something was wrong with him. He had never preoccupied while working before. And someone might remembered that he wasn't seen much last night.

"Jaret?"

Feral titled his head, tried to look normal. His friend looked concern.

"Are you okay?" Jaret asked, frowning "You dipped your hands in the sink for 5 minutes without doing any washing. Do you need a break? I can kick other cleaners' asses to do the washing for you. They have been taken advantage of you for so long."

"I'm okay, just a bit sleepy." Feral offered his friend a smile. "I'm really okay. It won't happen again."

"I disagree." Jeret rolled his eyes and pulled Feral out of the kitchen. He dragged Feral to the staff room and set the Zabrak on the bench before walking to the other cleaners who were still sleeping. And the Nautolan literally kicked their asses and told them to go to work. And he kicked their asses again when those cleaner were still rubbing the sleepiness out of their eyes.

* * *

After taken care of those cleaners, Jaret went to sit with Feral who was both impressed and concerned.

"You really don't have to do that." Feral said softly, "But thanks anyway."

"You're welcomed." Jaret smiled, "I've been annoyed by their laziness for so long, even before you're here. This should teach them a lesson."

"I hope so," Feral nodded and closed his eyes. He felt so peaceful, sitting like this with a friend who might can be trusted.

Jaret didn't go out of the room. He sat with Feral. Both of them said nothing. And Feral wondered about Jaret's personal life. He was curious that did Jaret and Janeta had lovers or not. Feral only met them at work. By the way, if Jaret had a lover, he might be able to give Feral some advices.

"Jaret," so he decided to ask. "May I ask you something?"

"Go on," came a soft reply. And Jaret turned to look at him. Feral gulped but he had decided that he would ask, so he would ask.

"Do you have a lover? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" He asked, trying to sound casual not timid. "I think I'm going to need relationship advices."

"I once had," came a casual reply. Feral titled his head as to ask for more explanation and Jeret continued. "When I was younger, I did have a girlfriend. But we broke up when Janeta and I decided to come here. Well, I haven't told you this but actually Janeta and I came here to escape from our creditor on Corascant. It's not our debt though, it's our parents'. They died before they could make enough money to pay, so Janeta and I decided to flee before they realise our parents had children. Sometimes I missed Corascant a bit though, Janeta was still just a teenager when we left."

"I've never been to Corascant." Feral mused, "Hope I might have a chance to go there some days."

"You will be impressed by just the size of it." Jaret smiled before he went back to the first topic. "Back to the main story, what make you need a relationship advices? Have you met someone you like?"

"Not quite," Feral sighed, trying not to be uncomfortable by Jaret's excitement. "I've met someone from my… past. We have both… good relationship and bad relationship. And he… he just said he had a feeling for me. What should I do?"

"Oh, interesting." Jaret nodded before continued. "But first, do you have a feeling for him? If you have, give him a chance. If you don't, you have to tell him that you don't."

Feral was stunned by Jaret's question. He hadn't thought about this before. Did he had a feeling for Savage? No way, Savage was his own brother. There was no way he's going to have a romance relationship with him.

But there was still times that Savage made his heart beat fast and him blushing without reasons. Likes when they practice the combat together and had their bodies pressed hard when Savage or him managed to tackle each other down. Or when they went to the hot spring to relax their muscles after training and Feral couldn't help blushing when he saw how well Savage's body was built. But all of that events Feral blamed the work of their energetic activities earlier that had their heart pumped hard.

However, did he have feelings for Savage or not? Feral still couldn't tell.

"That's also the problem." Feral replied. He hated to sound so unsure but that's how he really felt. He couldn't tell Jaret everything but still managed to tell Jaret as much as he could about his situation. "He makes me happy but sometimes he also makes me feel unstable, unbalanced."

"I don't like those feelings." Feral continued, his gaze travelling along the lockers in front of him. However, all he saw was Savage. "I'm happy when I spend times with him but sometimes I feel uncomfortable all the same." He finished and turned to look at Jaret as to ask his opinion.

"That's hard to tell," Jaret nodded. "But you might want to give him and yourself a chance. Let he courts you for a while, and you will know if you two are meant to be or not."

"I'm not sure." Feral gulped. He was blushing right now, thinking of Savage courting him. He hadn't witnessed such act before because the Nightbrothers were born to serve Nightsisters and died. He didn't even know if Savage knew about courting or he would have an instinct for that. "In Dathomir, my home planet, we do not court."

"Oh, I see." Jaret suddenly understood. Feral had told him about the Dathomirian's culture which had really nothing near the word 'romance'. "Well, um… it's even harder now. Damn, I don't know Feral. But if he makes you happy I think you should give him a chance. Let he takes care of you or just spend times with him more. Things might be clearer after that."

"I see, thanks." Feral nodded. He felt a bit better about Savage. However, Jaret didn't know all of the story and he might be wrong. Feral felt like trusting his instinct but that might not be enough.

"Oh, so this is where you two have been."

The door to the Staff room was suddenly opened and Janeta peeked in before she went in and close the door.

"What have I miss?" the female Nautolan asked and walked to sit with them. Feral opened his mouth to answer but Jaret was quicker.

"I was giving him a relationship advice." Jaret winked with a grin and it even made Feral blushed harder. "Feral has met someone who had a crush on him. But Feral isn't sure that should he move on with this guy or not."

"Wow," Janeta was immediately interested. And Feral sworn her eyes were glittering like a teenager. "So how is he? What race is he? Will you be a dom or a sub?"

"He's a Dathomirian Zabrak like me… wait, what? What did you mean by 'dom' and 'sub'?" Feral replied before he abruptly stopped and turned to look at Janeta who was still smiling.

"You know," she giggled, "who will get to do the female part while having sex and who will get the male part? Or you two will switch after each rounds?"

"Wo, wo, stop right there sister." Jaret laughed while Feral blushed so red it's nearly in the same shade of human's blood. "They're not going that far. Feral is still unsure should he goes on a date with this guy. But if you let me guess, I think Feral is going to be a sub, no offends here."

"Come on," Feral whined and hid his face in his hands while the Nautolans laughed and tried to reassure him that everything is going to be okay. Janeta even told him about her lovers in the past, how she met them and how it broke her heart when she had to leave Corascant. But she got over it after times had passed. And Right now she was dating another male Nautolan who worked in a hotel not so far away from the pub.

They went out of the Staff room before it's the time their boss arrived. Feral felt a bit better but he was still not sure about Savage. Maybe after tonight he might be able to create a solution for his situation. Right now he had to get ready for tonight.

* * *

It turned out that tonight was even more crowded than yesterday. And Feral didn't like it at all. He hated to squeeze through people to collect glasses and wiped the table clean for the new customer. More people meant more works with the same payment. But complaining wasn't going to get his work done, so Feral had to put up with it.

"Atmoss is here."

Mina, a pink Twi'lek waitress whispered to him when Feral got out of the kitchen. She was one of the friendliest waitress of this pub.

"Umm hmmm," Feral nodded, having no interest in Atmoss. He was thinking about the best route to get himself to the other side of the hall where it had a customer waving for cleaners. "So?"

"Today he wants a VIP room with a whole bunch of the special dancers." Mina giggled, "Do you think how 'dirty' their clothes will become after tonight? I still remember how drunken Atmoss had a habit of throwing any liquids at women to get a clear view of their shapes last night. And those are such a great liquid, such a waste."

"Just hope they don't throw their dirty clothes to me. Just scrubbing the floor is already a pain in an ass." Feral murmured for only himself to hear before he excused Mina and made himself to the other side of the hall.

* * *

After Feral finished collecting a dozen of empty glasses he turned to take it to the kitchen. The Zabrak hoped that tonight the dishwashers would be going their job properly, or he would be spending the night and the dawn washing dirty glasses and plates.

He was half way to the kitchen when he spotted Savage, sitting in the corner with a hood covered his head. His brother nodded at him but didn't do anything else. Feral gulped and quickly made his way to the kitchen before he hurried out and walked to where Savage was.

* * *

"Why are you here?"

Feral immediately asked when he reached Savage's table, pretended to be wiping the table while Savage looked at him with calm and calculating eyes. This made Feral felt bad a bit. It's usually him to have a calmer look not Savage. And yet it's still him who panicked not Savage.

"I come to see you." Savage replied with a soft yet measured voice. "And I see that you're doing well."

"I've been here for months, or years." Feral shrugged. He felt like Savage was here to check on him, to make sure he was okay. And it strangely made him felt happy. "At first it isn't easy though."

"I understand." Savage replied. Something flicked in his eyes, might be a memory. "My first time outside Dathomir was hard too."

"Don't talk about it here." Feral whispered, gathered Savage's empty mug and prepared to leave. However, he couldn't help but wonder how Savage could drink alcohol this much without being drunk. Maybe it has something to do with being a Death-Cheater. So he decided in the last second to whisper, "My shift ended at 3AM."

"I can wait." Savage grinned at him, a predatory grin which made Feral felt shivers ran down his spine. He thought he saw cockiness when he looked in his brother's glowing eyes. And Savage stared back which much more heat and emotions. Feral thought he saw a shadow lurking behind Savage's eyes, a shadow of a predator. And he snapped out of his thought when Savage continued with a low voice like he was purring.

"By the way, this pub has interested me." His brother said, still grinning. And Feral abruptly stepped back. He suddenly felt unstable again. But he wasn't going to let Savage knew. He didn't want to be seen as weak.

"Whatever," Feral murmured and left. He didn't want to think how this pub interested Savage. But he did think about it eventually.

'Maybe it's because of those sexy costume the waitresses and the dancers have to wear?' He thought and unconsciously frowned. 'No, it could not be. Savage said that he wants me as his mate…'

'Wait…'

And Feral nearly dropped the plate and the mug he was carrying when he immediately realized something.

'Am I jealous?'

And then he was blushing so hard that could put a tomato to shame.


	3. Chapter 3

Feral groaned and leaned his back on the wall nearby after he finished putting every dishes in the dishwasher. To his delight the machine was working properly today. That was good.

Feral then thought back about his brother. Savage had made his face blushed uncontrollably again. This was not good at all. Really not good.

"Feral! Are you there?"

Suddenly, one of the cleaner called him. And the Zabrak jerked awake from his thought.

"Yes?" he called out, "I'm here."

"Good," his co-worker went in, " wants you to the VIP room No.22 now. He said he wanted you to clean some stuffs."

"Okay," Feral nodded and walked out of the room. He had a bad feeling about going to the VIP zone but he brushed it off. The worst thing that could happen was him got scolded or sort of. He could handle it, he's sure.

However, Feral didn't know how wrong he was this time.

The VIP room Rakza wanted him was the room Atmoss had occupied. It's the largest room with small dance floor and poles. Feral went in and was greeted with a bunch of special dancers giggled and dancing around Atmoss who was sholding credits in his hands.

"At the corner," Rakza pushed him from behind and Feral immediately walked to the corner of the room where many empty bottles were placed. Feral nodded and quickly walked to the corner. He collected all of the bottle and went out as soon as possible without knowing that Atmoss had his eyes on his ass all the time.

Feral carried the bottle out of the VIP zone and sighed. He had a chance to see Atmoss clearly for a bit and he could tell that this man had him felt shivers ran down his spine. He was a man Feral definitely wouldn't want to associate with.

After taking care of those bottle, Feral went on with his chores. He collected bottles, glasses and wiped the tables clean. Everything went on as every previous nights, but Feral sensed that something bad might happen, something very bad.

"Knock it off," he said to himself after feeling another shiver ran down his spine. His instinct was jabbing at him to run – to flight. "Pull yourself together, it's only three hours before I'm free. Nothing is going to happen."

Except that something did happen.

* * *

"Feral!"

"Hmm?" Feral pulled himself from the pile of dirty dishes he was loading into a washing machine. Rakza called for him again, and he wondered if he was going to get scold. Feral quickly went through all he had done after stepping out of Rakza's sight. Well, he did not find that he did anything wrong. Rakza probably just had more jobs for him.

Rakza was waiting for him out of the kitchen with someone Feral didn't think would have anything to do with him. The Fondarian was with Mr. Ravenna, husband of Madame Ravenna and the owner of this pub.

"How can I help you sir?" Feral asked as he used his apron to clean his hands. Mr. Ravenna looked at him with calculating eyes before he turned to Rakza.

"Is this the one he wants?" The Zeltron asked Rakza with interested voice, and it made Feral felt bad. "Of all dancers and waitresses, he wants a cleaner?"

"He said he wanted to try something new sir," Rakza shrugged, "and he said exactly that he wanted a male Zabrak who went to collect the bottles an hour ago. He even stated that our dancers are too weak for his liking sometimes."

Feral felt cold all over, he knew this was not good at all. He could swear he saw Rakza smirked at him.

"Alright, at least we get pay," Mr. Ravenna finally shrugged before he turned back Feral, "go get change. You will go with Master Atmoss tonight."

"Atmoss?" Feral was shocked. Fear surged through him, he knew what did this mean. If someone had to go with Atmoss after he spent his hours drinking and consuming alcohols, it meant that the criminal also wanted a fuck after a drink.

"Yes, and hurry up," Rakza snarled, "Atmoss will be leaving this place in ten minutes and he hated to wait. Go get change and wait there. Oh, and when you're with Atmoss, don't forget to address him as 'master', if you want to get back here with your limbs intact."

Feral gulped but he nodded and moved out of the kitchen. His heart was beating as if it wouldn't have a chance to beat this fast again. Cold sweat was all over his palms but he didn't care. He had to do something, and quick.

* * *

Savage felt unease, like there was something he should do. Something was jabbing at him, to get up and find Feral. He felt like he needed to get Feral out of this place, and he had to do it now.

He felt as if Feral was in danger, a great danger.

"Calm yourself," he heard himself murmured, "It's three hours before his shift ends. Be patient."

However, as Savage felt himself calmed down, there was a female Nautolan walking toward him. Savage remembered that she was one of the bartenders. Her face screamed troubles.

"Hi there," she said when she reached his table, proceeded to place a glass down from the plate she was carrying. "Feral said you required a bartender to serve the drink yourself. By the way, he said he couldn't make it tonight. Atmoss required his… assistance."

Savage felt his heart dropped and his anger rising. He knew the true meaning behind the female Nautolan's words.

"Hey," the female Nautolan continued and Savage snapped his attention back to her, "Feral said you're a friend. He said you can be trusted. So, I want you to know that my brother and I are going after him. With or without you, we will go get him from that bastard and get out of this hell-hole planet."

Savage titled his head. He sensed no lie from this Nautolan. She was saying the truth.

"I want to know your name, and your brother's name." He said, standing up and finishing the glass she brought to him. After that he dropped a credit on the table and started walking. The Female Nautolan followed him. No one paid any attentions to them.

"Janeta," she replied, followed him out of the pub, "My brother's name is Jaret. He is following Atmoss right now. My transportation is near."

"Lead the way," Savage replied and the Nautolan started running. He could tell she was strong and wouldn't have a problem in a fight. So Savage focused on what he would do once they reached Atmoss's place. Surely he didn't want any attention to himself, but with Feral involved he didn't care.

His heart beat fast. Savage could feel his anger, along with blood-lust emotion surfacing. Zabrak were territorial by nature, especially in Death-Cheaters.

Savage snarled at his thought of Atmoss touching Feral in any ways possible. And if that bastard did touch Feral, Savage was going to make him regret.

* * *

Feral did not know why he sent his message to Savage. He was lucky that Jaret was in the locker room when he got there to get change. He told Jaret Atmoss required his assistance and Jaret immediately understood. The male Nautolan said he wouldn't allow that but Feral shut him up quickly before the Nautolan had a chance to finish his first sentence.

He remembered telling Jaret there was nothing the male Nautolan could do about this. No one should messed with Atmoss, for their own safety. Then he asked his friend to tell Savage not to wait for him. He didn't really tell Jaret who Savage was, just pointed him the table Savage was sitting and went to get change.

Feral hoped Jaret wouldn't do anything stupid. He also hoped that Savage wouldn't go after him.

The transportation stopped and Feral gulped. Besides him were Atmoss' minions, guarding him through the ride while Atmoss was in the front transportation, talking to his second in command and laughing.

The place they stopped at was one of the most luxurious and expensive hotel. Of course there was no way Atmoss would take him to his base. The Fondarian wasn't that stupid. He was one of the rulers of this planet but he also had a lot of enemies. Revealing where he lived is a suicide decision.

The guard nudged for him to get out and Feral did as he was told. Atmoss was walking in front, chatting with his minions while Feral walked behind, scared and uncomfortable. He wished this would be quick, or he would feel like it was quick.

'Hope he wants just a quick fuck,' Feral thought, knew that he was scared of what Atmoss was planning. By the way, Feral was still a virgin – presumed dead before he had a chance to have a lover. Of course he knew the basic knowledge about sex but that didn't help calm his nerve. Male Zabrak wasn't design to take a cock, except for after they accept to mate with Death Cheaters, and he doubted Atmoss would care about preparation.

"Don't be scare," Atmoss suddenly turned to him, like he suddenly felt fear radiated from Feral. "I will be gentle, but you seem to be stronger than those dancers. You're a male after all, can take more punches than them right?"

The guards around them laughed and Feral felt himself getting paler and paler. Of course he was strong compared to the galaxy's average. However, Fondarian and Zabrak were races that were always above average when it came to physical strength.

The guard pushed him to continue walking and Feral could do nothing against them. He followed Atmoss to the elevator and felt himself tremble slightly. He was afraid and there was no way out.

The elevator gave a soft 'ding' when they arrived at the floor Atmoss' room was, which was the highest floor of the building. Feral followed the Fondarian quietly to the room at the end of the passage. The guard pushed the door open and went in to check for any unwanted interloper before letting them in and went out to stay guard in front of the door.

Feral looked around the room. It was huge and fabulously decorated. There was a large bed at the end of the room, surrounded by glass walls on three side so the guests would have a nice view of the city while coupling. What scared him more were sex toys lying in the large luxurious glass box at the end of the bed, along with whips and ropes.

"Okay, before we start…", despite Feral's distressed stage, Atmoss walked toward the mini bar in the nearby corner, "do you want a drink?"

"No, thank you," Feral replied, gulped and stepped away from Atmoss to the other side of the room. He wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Hmm," Atmoss shrugged and went on with his drink before he turned to Feral to speak something when a knight hit him between his eyes.

Feral jumped and about to shout in shock, but someone's hand, a large hand that felt familiar, covered his mouth and pulled him to lean flat against a broad chest.

"Shh," then came a low voice Feral felt him to be too familiar with, "the purpose of using a knight is that it makes no sound. Please don't waste my effort by screaming."

"Savage?" Feral whispered against the large gloved palm. He then be abruptly turned to face the other Zabrak. It was really his brother, with a knife in his other hand.

"Yes," Savage nodded before he walked to retrieve his knight from Atmoss' head. "This hotel is good at everything, despite for the windows. They're too easy to crack open."

"Windows?" Feral turned to see that behind him were larges windows covered by curtains that hung from the ceiling to the floor. "But how did you get in here? This is like, the 30th floor! Or the 40th?"

"Easy," Savage shrugged, grinning, "I climbed."

"Are you crazy?" Feral was gaping right now. His brother instinct [or what Savage had called a 'mother hen' instinct] immediately kicked in. "What if you fell? What if your grip…"

"Shhh, no need to be a mother hen right now Feral," Savage cut him off softly with a chuckle while looting what he could loot from Atmoss. "The Nautolan siblings are waiting. We shouldn't let them wait."

"Nautolan siblings… Jaret and Jabeta?" Feral felt his jaw his the floor, not literally of course. "But I told them not to follow me."

"You should have learnt by now that we could think by ourselves, brother." Savage shook his head and took a step forward so Feral and he were face to face. The larger Zabrak grabbed Feral's hands and laid them on his shoulders gently while he kept talking. "And we want to save you. Now, hold tight."

"What are you…" Feral opened his mouth to ask. However, he didn't have a chance to finish as Savage grabbed his waist with one hand, cradled his head with the other one, and jumped out of the opened window behind the curtain.

Feral's surprised scream was muffled by Savage as the hand cradled his head pushed his face to rest against the broad shoulder. The smaller Zabrak felt himself being manhandled before they landed softly on the roof of the nearby building. Right now Savage was carrying him bridal style.

"Now, it will be some time before they know Atmoss is dead." Savage said, walked leisurely with Feral in his arms. "That room is sound-proved so the guests can enjoy their activities without disturbing other guests. The guards wouldn't suspect at the lack of noises. We will be long gone before they even know."

"Gone?" Feral asked, puzzled, "but go where? And put me down! I can walk."

"You don't have to," Savage shrugged, "I'm about to run, just want to have a nice conversation with you first. By the way, I want to show you Dathomir, but we could stop at any planets you want to visit first."

Feral opened his mouth to protest that he didn't want to go back to Dathomir, but Savage started running and Feral could do nothing but clinging on his brother as the larger Zabrak made various jumps and turns.

* * *

Savage stopped when they're at one of ordinary crowded streets of the city. Feral saw two speeders parking nearby, Jaret and Janeta were on them.

"Damn, you are really on time." Jaret said as he saw them. "Ten minutes and fifty seconds, damn Savage, you rock."

"Thank you," Savage chuckled, letting Feral down to stand on his own before walking to Janeta. "We should be hurry."

"Right," Janeta nodded and kicked the engines to life before taking off with Savage sitting behind her. The two disappeared into the crowd before Feral had a chance to ask what's going on.

"Hop on Feral," Jaret called him, a smile on his face, "I will take you back to get your things. We're leaving this filthy planet."

"To where?" Feral asked, but hopped on nonetheless. "And why you do this Jaret? Those pirates will be after you too."

"I'm not scare of them," Jaret shrugged, "Janeta and I were bounty hunters after we fled Coruscant. After our journeys after journeys of reckless adventures we decided to lay low. However, it seems that the fate is calling us back to those journey again. And your brother is one of the most skilful bounty hunter I have ever met."

"Right, too skilful for his own good." Feral murmured as they drove through the crowd, "and where are we going?"

"To grab your things," Jaret replied, "Janeta is on her way to grab our and Savage's things. Janeta and I made sure to put what we need in bags and ready for a sudden relocating. After that we all will be at the ship in no time."

Feral had a few things he needed. The credits he had owned, his clothes, medicines and a sketchbook he used to doodle when he had nothing to do. After that they're off to the Nautolan's ship.

The Nautolan's ship turned out to be a dust colour Luxury 3000 Space Yacht. Janeta and Savage were already there when Feral and Jaret arrived.

"Come on guys," Janeta called them, Feral sensed joy and excitement in her voice. She seemed to be very happy despite that they're fleeing from a 'going to be very pissed Crime Syndicate'. "Let's go! I can't wait to leave this shitty planet."

"Yup," Jaret laughed as he and Feral climbed up the ladder which folded back after they're on the ship. Despite the dusty look it had, Feral had to say that inside the ship was well arranged. There was a restroom near the storage at the back of the ship. Bunk beds were not far away, hidden between large lockers. The large round table was registered in the middle of the room, glued to the floor with chairs around it. Small kitchen took up one corner of the room.

"Feel free to choose the bed," Jaret said to him as he followed Janeta to the cockpit. "But I would recommend you to take the seat first. We're going to take off."

There were seats hanging from the wall near the door Feral went in with seatbelts. However, Feral decided to follow the Nautolan siblings to the cockpit instead. He hadn't been conscious on the space ship before, he wanted to know how this metal vehicle work.

Janeta and Jaret were already in their pilot seats as Feral went in. He watched the two Nautolan worked with all the buttons and mused quietly to himself about how the ship work.

The take-off was smooth despite how the ship was so dirty on the outside. Feral clung to the back of Jaret's chair, watching the city looked smaller and smaller from the dusty window. The view was magnificent for Feral who hadn't seen the view above any cities before, nor the space.

'Savage must had been through many journeys,' he mused in his mind as he watched the city disappeared as they reached the clouds in the sky. 'He must has seen many amazing views. By the way, where is he?'

"Guys?" Feral immediately asked as he realized he hadn't seen Savage since he stepped his feet on the ship. "Where is Savage?"

"He is in the back room, the storage." Janeta answered, switched the thruster to increase its power. "I mentioned about the canons which aren't fixed since we arrived to CX112. Savage thinks he can do something about it, so I sent him to find what he has to use in the storage."

"Shit, what a shame I forget about them. Pirates will choose us blind if we meet one." Jaret sighed, looked slightly embarrassed. The Nautolan was going to scold himself more when Feral interrupted.

"I think I will be in the storage room then," Feral said, "Maybe Savage could use some hands."

"Alright," Janeta nodded, "but tell him we will stop at Milora in a few hours. We can't repair every parts of the canon in space."

"Got it," Feral replied and walked out of the cockpit. The automatic door made a soft click as it closed behind him.

* * *

However, when he was alone Feral felt so exposed and unease. He didn't know what made he said he wanted to help Savage, he should just kept his mouth shut and stayed with Jaret and Janeta. He could handle being in the same room as Savage, but being in the same tight room in a spaceship with Savage and no ways to escape was another story.

"Pull yourself together," Feral murmured, feeling his heart rate kicked up immediately. "Calm down, you can do this. Think about when we're still on Dathomir, helping the elders repair those houses."

The memory helped him a bit as Feral thought of how he and Savage used to going to the storage together to get what others needed to repair the houses after the storm. It was a nice memory and nearly had Feral smile.

After calming himself down, Feral walked straight to the storage and took a deep breath while the automatic door slid open.

Dimmed lights illuminated the room from the ceiling. Feral let his eyes got used to the dark while he listened to the door slid shut and tried to make out the silhouettes of many shelves and boxes in the room. He hadn't seen Savage but his instinct told him the larger Zabrak was in here.

Despite calling for Savage, Feral decided to explore the room. He didn't feel like meeting Savage right now. Of course he came here to help Savage but he supposed he could still spent some times to himself first.

Feral walked from shelf to shelf, exploring the boxes and chests. Janeta and Jaret did keep many materials and tools here.

Suddenly, the ship jerked and made a sudden turned to the left. Feral yelped in surprised as he stumbled forward and lost his balance. However, before he his body hit the cold floor, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. And Feral yelped again when he found himself pressed flat against a person behind him.

"Are you alright?"

Soft low voice asked and Feral gulped. He knew the person behind him was Savage.

"I'm okay, thank you." he managed to say, pulling himself away from his brother and Savage let him go without any protest.

'Sorry guys, a problem with the engine. Think we have to repair more than the canons when we reach Milora.'

Janeta's voice came through the intercom with a hint of apology.

"Milora?" Savage said, stroking his chin. "It's a good choice."

"Janeta said we will reach there in a few hours." Feral said, trying to look relaxed and at ease. Savage eyed him but let he continued nevertheless. "She mentioned the canons needs to be repaired. I come here to see if you need a hand."

"Hm, well, I can use a hand or two." Savage replied with a chuckled before he walked to the left. "Come, we still have more things to find before we can repair those canons."

Feral followed Savage deeper into the storage. His brother shoed him what he had already found and told Feral what he needed the smaller Zabrak to find. After that Feral walked to do his task in peace, knowing that he didn't have to stay close to Savage all the time.

The smaller Zabrak felt his shoulders relaxed as explored the boxes, checking if there was anything Savage wanted.

As time went by, the pile of stuffs in the middle of the storage room grew larger and larger as Savage and Feral kept putting things in.

Feral was happy with his task; it's easy and simple. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Savage as he continued to tell himself to stop thinking.

Savage had grown so much. He was stronger, looked more mature and wild. His brother was perfect, every female Dathomirians would want him. Damn, he could feel himself get jealous already…

Wait…. He is jealous?

'No, that's impossible.' Feral thought, roaming through boxes after boxes. 'Even when he said he want to mate me… no no…this cannot be. I can't, we can't do this. We are brothers.'

His mind seemed to not agree much to his brain though. Because after that Feral mind was filled with images of what Savage would look like if he was shirtless, and then what he himself would look like when he mate with Savage.

Feral groaned but he couldn't stop himself. After a while he started to feel, weird. He felt hot and cold all over his body, especially cold in his arms and legs but his chest and stomach felt hot. They kept getting hotter while his limbs started to feel numb and his pants started to be too tight for him.

"What happen to me?" Feral gasped softly as he out his hand on his chest to stop the slight shaking. He could still stand and function but this was not good.

"You're arousal, I guess." Soft voice answered from behind and Feral turned to see Savage standing behind him. It made Feral jumped and dropped a metal pipe he was holding. Savage was behind him, yellow-red eyes glowing under the dim light while shadows covered half of his face.

"I…" Feral gulped, shaking his head as he whispered back. His voice just suddenly disappeared. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Savage said, taking a step forward and Feral backed up immediately. "Let me help you."

"No! I can take care of myself." Feral shook his head, blushed controllably while stepping back without knowing that he was walking into a trap. "You… Savage, I know how to take care of myself. I've… masturbated… before…"

"Let me help you, it will be over quicker." Savage insisted with much softer and gentler voice. He stepped closer and feral felt himself backed up against the wall. Savage was just inches away from him, towering and him.

"Savage…" Feral felt himself pledging, which he not sure if he was asking for Savage to go away or to hurry up. "Savage…I…"

"Shh, it's going to be okay." Savage whispered as he pulled Feral forward, so the smaller Zabrak had his face rested against Savage's shoulder. His hand sneaked down to palm the bulge between Feral's legs which was hidden behind his long shirt.

Feral bit his lip, stopping the moan from coming out as he felt heat surged through him. His limbs felt numb as Savage used his free hand to put Feral's arm on his shoulder before hold him still by his hip.

Savage continued with his palming, careful to not put too much pressure. He could feel Feral rapid heart-beat and muffled moans. Could say that they made him hard as well. However, Savage ignored his own arousal and continued to palm Feral through his pants. He felt his brother turned stiffen before a hand tugged weakly at his forearm.

"Savage stop," Feral said, panting. "I'm going to come. I don't want…"

"That could be arrange." Savage shrugged and dropped down to his knee, causing Feral to double forward if not for the hand on his hip. The smaller Zabrak yelped in surprised as Savage quickly pulled his pants down. Cold air touched his now sensitive skin, made him shiver.

"Sa…" Feral opened his mouth to ask what Savage was planning to do when his arching cock was suddenly engulfed by hot wetness. Feral moaned, almost sounding tearful, and tried to hold on to anything he could grab as his knees buckled. If not for the hand holding his hip, he might have fallen down already.

One hand in his mouth to muffle the scream and one hand hold on to the shelf on his left, Feral looked down and what he saw made his eyes widened. Savage was between his head, sucking his cock with one hand on his hip to hold him still while the other caressed his inner thigh and then moved to squeeze his ass – which made Feral shook and yelped in surprise.

Sharp teeth and canines grazing his cock softly and Feral knew he was going to be [or already be] a moaning and squirming mess if Savage kept going like this.

However, Feral didn't last that long for found out if he turned out to be that or not as Savage suddenly spread his ass cheeks apart. Cold air made him jerked and then two finger immediately gave him a hard massaged at the puckered rim of Feral's hole. And Feral came with a muffled scream.

For Feral, anything after that happened in a blur picture while he tried to catch his breath. He felt himself being placed down on the floor. Savage was gone for seconds before coming back with a wet cloth to clean his thigh. Feral remembered swatting Savage's hand away after he deemed himself clean enough and pulled his pants up. Savage helped him stand up and backed away, like he wasn't sure if Feral was mad or not.

"Savage," Feral growled once he could stand properly by himself, "don't do that again."

"But you seem to enjoy it," Savage said and smirked. "Am I good, Feral?"

"Shut up," Feral growled with blushing face and walked away from his brother. He heard a chuckle and then Savage was beside him, walking with him to the pile of stuffs in the middle of the room. His hands held empty boxes.

"Let's pack them up," Savage said, gesturing to the direction they're going and acted as if what just happened was just a dream. "Then I will cook you something to eat and let's go to bed. There are still hours before we arrive at Milora."

"I can take care of myself." Feral muttered but followed Savage to the pile of tools nevertheless. Inside him, warmness was spreading, warmness Feral couldn't figure out where it came from.

However, this time he didn't feel uncomfortable to be around Savage. That might be a good sign after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Savage turned out to be a good cooker, much to Feral surprise. He did not remember teaching Savage how to cook. However, Feral felt like he could enjoy the food as same as enjoying the peaceful moment alone. The Nautolan siblings went to repair those canons with Savage after the meal. The ship then set to an autopilot mode.

Janeta told him to sleep. Today had been eventful enough for Feral. Half of him agreed, while the other half disagreed. He didn't feel like going back to Dathomir just yet. Nevertheless, sleepiness took over and Feral collapsed in one of the bed, drifting to a dreamless sleep in less than a minute.

Feral woke when he felt the ship slightly shook. Then he heard a loud crack, followed by Jaret's apologize. The Dathomirian Zabrak quickly sat up. He got out of the bed in time to see Jeret and Janeta walking his way. Both of them were talking about some mechanical things Feral did not understand.

"Oh, you are awake." Janeta smiled, ceasing the conversation about the engine immediately. She seemed to know that engineering only gave Feral a headache. "Do you want to come with me? I am going out to buy some stuffs. Savage has offered to stay here with Jaret and help him repair the ship."

"Is this Milora?" Feral asked, looking at the window. What he saw were spaceships everywhere. This place seemed to be a platform for ship landings.

"Yes." Janeta nodded. "The city was not far away. Do you want to come? I have a speeder." She winked, and Feral then remembered Jaret telling him how Janeta loved to drive her vehicle at its top speed through each streets at night.

"I would like to." Feral nodded. As he had no knowledge on spaceship and wasn't ready to stay near Savage, going with Janeta seemed to be a good idea. Also, he still needed time to gather himself before facing Savage again. "Let's go."

They walked out of the ship and Feral smelt the air. Milora was more humid than Dathomir or CX112. Savage and Jeret were already outside the ship, repairing the engines and the canons.

Jeret was under the ship with tools Feral did not know laying all around him. Near the male Nautolan, Savage was working on one of the canons. Feral tried not to look at Savage, but he still picked up that his brother was wearing only a sleeveless shirt, showing his masculine arms, and a dark pants. Feral had to say he found Savage very attractive like this.

_And I definitely shouldn't be feeling like this._ The smaller Zabrak thought, shaking his head before he head toward where Janeta was loading her speeder off the ship. The female Nautolan seemed to be very excited.

Janeta spent no time in loading the speeder off the ship. She looked very happy to go 'shopping' as she handed Feral a goggle. "Do you two want anything more than just usual stuff?" The female Nautolan asked, starting the engine. Feral hopped on behind her, hearing Savage and Jeret said that they're good. Janeta then sped off.

"What do we have to buy?" Feral asked when they were on the road toward the city. Milora was quite a crowded place, judging from people travelling around. There were many race Feral hadn't seen before. It was an amazing view for him, but he guessed Janeta had already seen all of them.

"Some food and some part of the engines." Janeta replied. "My brother and I have a habit of collecting scrap metals and parts of this or that, in case we have to use it. But it seems like they won't be enough. Sometimes specific parts weren't be found from old junk yards we come across."

"How long will we stay at Milora?" Feral asked as the city came to view. It's not so civilize, but sure to be very populated. Feral sighed, he really disliked crowded places.

"A day or two, up to how long we have to spend repairing the ship." Janeta shrugged. "But look on the bright side. This planet has a lot to see. The nature here is still young and pure. I have been here a long time ago, but I can still remember some of places worth traveling. I can show you while those two repair the ship."

"Oh, thank you." Feral smiled. "But it's alright. Your brother and Savage seem to need you more than me." He added, even when he wasn't willing to turn down Janeta's offer. Feral could use some trips away, just anything to stay away from Savage.

"If you say so," Janeta shrugged, slowed down as they approached the city gate. Feral looked at the big hulking Wookies who stood guard. They looked at Feral and Janeta. Seeing no threat; they let the female Nautolan and Feral got inside. Janeta immediately sped her speeder up after that.

"I hate to slow down." The Nautolan spoke. "But we need to, or those guards will start shooting." She sighed, as they made their way through the crowded streets Feral had ever seen. The Zabrak nodded, grabbing the female Nautolan's forearms a bit tighter.

They made it to the market in less than half an hour. Janeta did most of the buying and bargaining, Feral only helped her carrying everything. They bought food and other supplies, Janeta even tried to buy Feral new clothes, which Feral quickly turning down her offer. He wanted to buy them by himself.

* * *

After an hour of shopping, Janeta needed to buy an extra trailer to carry what they had brought.

"We are done here." Janeta said after she and Feral finished hooking the trailer to the speeder. "Are you sure you don't need new clothes? I think you can dress in something a bit more colourful, you're not a cleaner at that shitty bar anymore."

"No, I don't think I need any new clothes soon." Feral shook his head and climbed on the speeder. "Let's go back to the ship."

"If you say so," Janeta shrugged and the speeder sped off. "But I still argue!" She shouted as they sped through the crowd. All Feral could do was sighing desperately. Janeta could be very stubborn sometimes.

They got back to the ship in no time. Jeret was still at the same spot before they left. The male Nautolan looked a lot dirtier with grease and dust all over. Savage was not so different, but the Zabrak had clearly finished repairing most of the canon so far.

"These two also need help." Savage said as Janeta arrived, pointing toward two canons besides him. "I hope you got something for them."

"Let's see." Janeta dumped three large bags from the trailer. Without saying a word, Feral hurried down from the speeder to load the food into the ship. He was also looking for an excuse to not be with Savage anyway.

Janeta and Savage's voices faded as Feral was finally in the ship with bags in his hand. He put them down and sighed. He felt so uncomfortable being around Savage, especially with his brother covered in grease and dust, and still managed to look so sexy… so mind blowing.

_Damn… this is unfair!_ Feral grunted as he stormed to the kitchen area and started putting new food into their places_. Why he has to be…so irresistible. Just his eyes and I feel like I'm melting…_ He groaned and had to put his hands down on the counter to support himself. And then, as his crotch touched the metal counter, Feral realized that he was hard.

_What in the…_ Feral gasped, stumbled backward and nearly fell down on his ass. He was having an erection, again.

"What in… why is this happening to me?" The male Zabrak whispered to himself, looking around to make sure that he was alone. And as he wished he could have some times to himself, the door slid opened.

Savage walked in, still dirty from repairing the canon. Feral gasped and quickly made his way to the bathroom. At least he could hide in there until Savage was gone. He didn't feel like masturbating when Savage was around. Death-Cheaters were known for their highly sensitive sense of everything, hearing, visual, smelling, you named it. Just thinking of Savage could sense his arousal immediately making the situation worse. Feral just hoped that his brother hasn't smelt him yet, he could not let another event like some hours ago in the storage room happen again.

However, before Feral could reach the bathroom, Savage stopped him.

The smaller Zabrak yelped as he was spun until he was facing Savage. His brother was having that predator look again. And it alarmed Feral. Half of him wanted to run, while the other half wanted to move closer to the larger male.

"You're…arousal." Savage said slowly, sniffing the air. "Do you need any… assistance?" He asked and Feral gulped, shaking his head frantically.

"No, I'm good." He replied, feeling his throat went dried as he spoke. "Really, I'm good. You can go back to your canon repairing. I'm okay."

"Feral, I'm force-sensitive. I can feel you arousal through the force, also by the scent." Savage said, sighing, before stepping forward with his hands still on Feral shoulder. This made feral immediately stepped backward. His brain was still shocked from what he had just known. _Savage can sense my arousal through the Force?_ But he didn't get much chance to think about it more as Savage continued. "I remember mentioning to you that my instinct is calling for you. You only." Savage's voice was soft, as if he was afraid he might frighten Feral.

"I remember." Feral nodded, startled as he felt his back touched the wall. Savage had managed to back him against the wall, damn. "But I don't want to. I feel… it feels wrong. I've been looking after you… and then you said we are mates. And then I'm having this embarrassed arousal for no reason!" He grinded his teeth, reminding himself that shouting isn't going to help. However, Savage didn't make a move.

"It's typical." Savage said, gulping. He looked like he was sure of how he should talk about what he want Feral to know. "It's… it's a very typical symptom." So he left it like that.

"What symptom?" Feral demanded, already having a bad feeling about what Savage might say. It's obvious that Savage knew something he did not know. "Savage, tell me!" He bugged, and Savage gulped.

"Death-Cheaters are force-sensitive." Savage said carefully. "We can feel our mates, like I feel mine. We can control ourselves if we are rejected. However, your body could not."

"What?" Feral felt colours draining away from his face. "What did you mean?" He stuttered, already afraid of the answer. There was a story about the mate who rejected their Death-Cheater mate getting an unknown arousal from times to times. However, Feral just could not believe it to be true.

"Once recognizing the mate, both of our bodies will be getting ready for the mating part." Savage continued. "However, Death-Cheaters can control their… sexual desire, if needed to. But our mates cannot. So this is what you're experiencing, a sudden arousal and high level of sexual desire." He ended his sentence with concerned voice. Feral gulped, taking in what Savage had told him.

"So… unless we fuck… this sudden arousal is going to happen again and again?" The smaller Zabrak finally asked, feeling himself getting hard under that intense gaze. Savage just nodded and Feral felt like crying. _This is so embarrassed!_

"Damn… damn…shit…" Feral groaned, already feeling his legs tremble as the arousal he was having. If not for the wall behind him, and Savage's hands on his shoulder, Feral was sure he would already be on the floor.

"Savage… I'm not ready for this…" Feral almost cried, shaking his head. He wasn't able to look Savage in the eyes. "…please… I cannot…" The smaller Zabrak sobbed, covered his face with his hands. Normally Feral wasn't easy to break down, but with such situations going one and what he had just gone through in the past 48 hours, it's just too much.

"We don't have too." Savage whispered, stepped in closer and pulled Feral into a hug. He backed his brother against the wall, kept Feral trapped between his body and the solid surface behind. Feral tentatively hugged him back, moaning when his erection was rubbed.

"Relax." Savage whispered, one hand sneaked down to palm Feral though the fabric of his pants. His brother gasped and Savage kissed his temple softly, wanting to make Feral relax. "I will help get you off. Don't worry, we're not going to have sex." And then he sneaked his hand into Feral's pants.

Feral moaned and held on to Savage's board shoulders as the larger male gave him a handjob. It's both a pleasant and unpleasant experience. He was trapped between the larger body and the wall, with one of Savage's arms wrapped around his waist. One of Savage's hands was in his pants, jerking him off.

The smaller Zabrak buried his face into Savage's shoulder, trying to muffle his moan. He could feel his face heat up. Savage was humming a song in his ear, a song he didn't know. And then his brother was kissing his cheek. Feral gave a high pitch moan as Savage squeezed him, before pulling and slid his hands to stroke the base of Feral's cock. The smaller Zabrak didn't know how Savage manage to keep his claws away from his tender flesh, but he was glad Savage did.

"Savage… I…. I'm going to…" Feral whimpered as he felt his orgasm closing in. Savage growled in his ear before the hand was pulled out. Then Savage was on his knees, with his hands supporting Feral to stay up right. Feral moaned and immediately covered his hands with his mouth as Savage pulled his pants down.

This blowjob was as amazing as the first one Feral received from Savage. It made his need went away, but also leaving Feral felt light-headed and sleepy.

"You're alright?" Savage asked as he stood up, licking his lips clean of any fluid that might be. Feral gulped, looking away before his brain manage to cook up any dirty of him, Savage, and that talented tongue.

"I'm okay." Feral nodded, feeling both better and longing as Savage moved away. "Just a bit sleepy."

"Then sleep." Savage said bluntly, gesturing toward the bed. "We will be here for a couple of days. There are still canons to repair." He said in a matter-of-fact tone, and a genuine smile.

"Yeah, that seems to be a good idea." Feral nodded, walking toward the bed. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Savage walked toward the kitchen area and pulled out a bottle of energy drink from the cabinet. And as Feral laid down, Savage was beside him, pulling a blanket until it covered Feral's shoulders.

"This place is not that cold." The smaller Zabrak said, feeling strangely satisfied and comfortable to be taking care of by Savage. However, Savage just shrugged and placed a kiss on his forehead before heading out, leaving Feral with red face and many unsettled, and uncategorized feelings.

* * *

After making sure that Feral had gone to sleep, Savage let himself relaxed a bit. Jeret and Janeta were still outside, repairing the engine. Savage sighed before walking to the storage room. He made sure no one would be able to hear him before pulling a communication device out of his pants pocket.

'Savage'

"Brother" Savage nodded as the hologram appeared. Maul was standing with his hands crossed behind his back. "I've got my mate. We're on Milora. It will take us around 48 hours to make sure the ship is in good condition to travel."

'Good' Maul replied, his voice was still but there was a glitch in his eyes. 'How long until you reach Dathomir?'

"Might take us around 72 hours from Milora." Savage replied. He had to trade carefully. "My mate isn't… so sure about Dathomir. He is still... we are still getting to know each other." Savage hoped that Maul would be kind enough to not ask for more information.

'You still have two weeks.' Maul finally said, nodding. He suddenly looked preoccupied. 'Don't be late.' The former Sith Lord said before the communication was cut. Savage sighed, he still had around ten days to spend. However, that might be enough to at least make Feral totally relax to be around him.

So Savage decided to go outside. He felt through the Force that Feral was sleeping soundly. That's good.

Jeret and Janeta were taking on the engine as Savage went out. The Nautolan siblings were good engineers. Savage remembered Jeret mentioned to him that Janeta was a better pilot between the two, while Jeret was a better shooter and a also a better engineer.

"How is Feral?" Janeta asked as soon as Savage steeped out of the ship.

"He's sleeping." Savage replied. "And I think he need new clothes."

"That's the problem." Janeta sighed. "He won't let me buy it for him. He wants to buy for himself, and he still thinks that he isn't in need of new clothes." She almost pouted.

"I will try persuade him, when he wakes up." Savage nodded and walked to the canons that still needed more repair. He grabbed the tool and set to work. Of course they were in no hurry, but they also better prepare for anything. One thing he had learnt from travelling through space; Life is full of surprises.

* * *

Feral woke up sometimes later with the sound of someone cooking. He blinked and stretched. This was one of the most peaceful sleep he ever had.

As Feral climbed out of his bed, he saw Savage in the kitchen area. His brother had washed and changed into new clothes, which was not different much from the old one he wore while repairing those canons. Savage was cooking with his back toward Feral. However, the smaller Zabrak had a feeling that Savage already knew that he was up.

Feral decided to take a shower. He grabbed his back and walked to the bathroom. He hoped that the ship had a wash room, or at least a washing machine.

The smaller Zabrak almost felt a gaze on him as he entered the bathroom. This made him curious that Savage might have been staring at his ass all the time. Feral battled his thought away quickly, feeling his cheeks heated up. But to be honest, he might not mind having Savage staring, just might.

After a nice shower, Feral got out feeling fresh and alive. He hummed a lullaby from his childhood as he exited the bathroom. Savage was already setting the plates on the table. Jeret and Janeta just walked in, sniffing the air with huge smiles on their faces.

"Whoa, that looks delicious." Jeret said, smiling as he approached the table. Janeta batted his hands away before the male Nautolan picked the food up.

"Wash your hands first." Janeta said, rolling her eyes as she walked toward the sink. Jeret trailed behind her with a pout. That made Feral shook his head. Jeret could act like a kid sometimes, with Janeta acting as his mother.

"What are these?" Feral asked Savage as he walked toward the table. There was something that look like a soup, and some roasted meat. Also fruits and vegetables.

"I don't remember their name." Savage shrugged. "I just know what is edible, what is not. Those… _friends_ in Corascant taught me how to cook all of this." He ended the sentence abruptly, and turned to head toward the bathroom.

"Corascant." Janeta sighed. "I'm kinda miss that planet."

"But we're not going back soon." Jeret said, washing his hands. "We don't know if those thugs are dead yet. We still don't want to pay our parent's debt."

After that they sat down to eat. Jeret announced that the engine should be ready by tomorrow evening. Savage said that the canons were nearly fixed, which he hoped to get it done before tomorrow's afternoon.

Janeta praised Savage's cooking, stating that this meal was the most delicious meal she had ever had, except for the meal her mother had cooked. Jeret then started telling the story about his and Janeta's childhoods. Feral smiled and laughed, relaxing to the Jeret's smooth voice and his story. From the corner of his eyes, Feral thought he almost saw Savage smile.

"What about you two?" Janeta asked after Jeret finished talking about how he and Janeta's first day to school. "How about your stories? I think my brother has annoyed you with his story long enough."

"Come on sis!" Jeret pouted but didn't disagree. He just turned to look at Feral and Savage too. "Yeah, how about you two? Anything excited?"

"Not much." Feral replied, looking at Savage to see the larger Zabrak looked back at him. From the look in Savage's eyes, his brother was not going to say a thing, probably. "I mean; Dathomir is a boring place, compares to CX112 and Milora. Our routines were the same every day. Waking up, eat, hunt, train, then eat, and go to sleep." He shrugged. "Until I…um… I accidently got out…yeah." He abruptly ended his story, still feeling too uncomfortable to say more. Jeret opened his mouth to ask, probably curious by Feral's abrupt end, but Savage choose that moment to speak.

"But there is one thing interesting about Dathomir." Savage said, smiling. "Our songs."

"Songs?" Janeta titled her head. "I've never heard that Dathomir is famous in arts. Don't get me wrong. I did not mean to offend you, just what I always heard about Dathomir are witches, and dominant females culture."

"It's alright." Savage chuckled. "We are never famous of our songs. There are clans all around Dathomir, the Singing Moutain Clan, the Red Hills Clan, for example. Each clans have their songs, but there is only one clan that give deep meaning to every songs. It's my clan, our clan."

Feral could feel Savage's eyes on him, hot and deep with feelings, as his brother finished the last sentence. But when he turned to look at Savage, his brother was looking at Jeret and Janeta.

"The Nightsisters Clan." Savage continued. "Our ancestors had invented the way to conjure a gift, or a curse, through the songs. So every songs we sing will have meanings, and even a feedback, if we're concentrate enough."

"So…" Jeret interrupted. He looked very excited at what Savage said. "You're saying that your songs are also spells?"

"Not totally." Savage smiled, nodded. "But if the singers know how to make what they sing become real, that's definitely a spell. I was taught about some of them when I was a child, in case the Nightsisters want us to help amplify their spells. And I still remember them even when we're changing into male-female equals."

"Whoaaaa… wait. Your clan is changing your culture?" Jeret was gaping right now. "Is that possible? No offense! I'm just curious."

"It's possible. My brother is now their leader." The larger Zabrak smiled. Feral could almost see proud and happiness in Savage's eyes. This made Feral inhale sharply, because seeing Savage so happy about their birthplace has Feral wanting to see Dathomir too.

"That's great!" Jeret grinned. "I guessed you're his sub-command, right hand guy… something like that, right?!"

"Right, if you put it that way." Savage shrugged, before Jeret started bombing him with tons of question about Dathomir culture and environment. It seemed that Jeret was really excited to go to Dathomir, so excited than Feral himself.

They talked about Dathomir for a while, before Jeret started telling them about the planets he and Janeta had visited. Feral listened with smile on his face, and didn't flinch when Savage touched their knees together under the table. Okay, he almost flinched, just almost. But having Savage near made him relax, so Feral did not say anything.

Janeta suggested they went to bed after an hour had passed. Savage offered to take the first shift. They still had to be careful. Janeta and Jeret both agreed before they both climbed onto their beds.

* * *

Feral didn't feel sleepy at all when the Nautolan siblings were asleep. Savage was outside, probably repairing the canons as Feral could hear the soft tinkering sound. He paced around the ship more, and in the end decided to head outside.

Savage was working on one of the canon as Feral had predicted. He trotted slowly toward Savage, unsure of why he suddenly felt like they should talk about something, anything.

"Can't sleep?" Savage suddenly asked, making Feral jumped. The smaller Zabrak sighed and walked closer to where Savage was hanging up-side down from the ship.

"Yeah, kind of. Maybe I have too much sleep." Feral shrugged, walking until he was under the canon Savage was repairing. "So I think… you might need a hand."

"It's good to have someone around." Savage replied, smiling. The light from light bulbs Savage glued to the area near the canon illuminated half of his face in strange blue artificial light. "Thank you."

"No need too." Feral sat down, watching Savage worked with a small circuit inside the canon. Engineering was probably not what Feral was good it. He was good with herbs. Feral had been considering becoming a medic, before all of this happened. Before Ventress visited their village.

As if sensing his thought, Savage spoke up. "You will probably get a chance to become one, Feral. Everything is going well." He said, jamming one wire with others, before switching to another circuit. "Or, if you want to, you can go study at the medical school in Corascant. I think I can manage to get you there." He winked.

"How?" Feral asked, slightly excited. "I… I think they forbid Maul and you from being anywhere besides the Outer Rim."

"I have a lot of trustful friends." Savage chuckled. "Not much very, but at least I think I know the one that can be trusted."

They stayed silent after that. Feral listening to Savage's light humming and gazing at the stars above. It was not as bright as in Dathomir, but at least he could still see some of them.

"What song is it?" Feral asked after Savage humming something that sounded so familiar to his ears. His brother stopped and Feral turned to see Savage unhooked himself from the ship, and landed perfectly on his feet.

"You remember it?" Savage asked, sitting down besides Feral. "It's a song about destiny. Do you remember the dance?"

"The dance?"

"The dance around a bonfire." Savage replied, standing up. He then held out his hands for Feral. "Come on, let's dance."

"What?" Feral giggled, but let Savage pulled him up nonetheless. As he stood up, Feral tried to dig up his memory about their childhood. Yeah, he remembered that dance around the bonfire. The Nightbrothers did it every time there was something to celebrate. Like new leaders, new members, for example.

"So," Feral asked as he stood up. "What are we celebrating?"

"Everything." Savage replied, grinning. "Everything that made we met each other again. I'm so glad to have you back, Feral." His voice dipped deep with emotions. It made Feral's heart fluttered. He could almost see the longing in Savage's eyes.

"Me too." So he replied just that, and they started dancing in circle around each other, humming the song. It's a song that talk about destiny, about the Force that sometimes ties such perfect partner together.

Feral felt himself became lighter and lighter as he sang quietly. The song and the dance had him felt light-headed and overwhelmed with such feeling he could not recognize. They warmed his heart, making him almost gasp when he saw Savage's eyes. Such a predatory sigh, but still in control. Savage looked like a real predator, dancing with him, singing their childhood song with him.

The song and rhythm were built up until they were at their peak. Feral felt something touching him inside. Not inside liked in his body, but inside like in his mind. Something warm and so full of emotions. His arms were moving by their own minds. Everything seemed to be blurry for a second as Feral felt his body moving without his commands. Then, Feral finding himself again in Savage's embrace.

"Savage…" Feral gasped, feeling Savage's hands on his back and his waist, supporting him. One of Feral's hands was on Savage's shoulder, the other one was placing on the larger male's forearm. He could feel his face heated up, could feel warmness radiated from the body in front of him.

"If you want to stop… we can stop." Savage whispered, his nose almost touched Feral's. Such proximity had Feral's mind swam confusedly in the mix of emotion inside him. However, he knew he did not want to stop.

"I don't… I don't want to stop." Feral whispered, tightened his hands on Savage. He could hear Savage rumbled deep in his throat, feeling the need to touch the other in some way more intimated.

So Feral just leaped up and let their lips touched.


	5. Chapter 5

The second their lips touched, Feral could feel something exploded inside him. He closed his eyes and savoured the moment. The moment his body and everything felt so right. He felt so warm, in a very good way. He could feel Savage tightening his embraced, so he tightened his grip on Savage's shoulder, and then the larger male was kissing him back.

This was the first time Feral had kissed someone, so he let his instinct lead him. They, Dathomirian Zabraks, were taught to listen to their instinct anyway - especially when they did not know what to do with the situation at hand.

Savage's tongued slipped out and touched his lower lip. Licking. Teasing. Silently asking for permission to enter. Feral subconsciously opened his mouth for Savage, and that tongue swapped in. Feral felt it lick his inner lips slowly and gently, then going to lick at the tip of his tongue. The smaller Zabrak let his instinct roamed free as he did not know what to do; his tongue pushed itself up to meet Savage's immediately. He didn't push Savage away, just licking, inviting Savage in.

The larger male's tongue dragged itself to taste Feral's wet cave freely then, dancing around his tongue, swirling and pulling at his lower lip with teeth. Then the tongue was back again, this time it was as if Savage was eating him, drinking him up, and savouring him. His knees buckled slightly, and Feral felt Savage catching him before he fell to the ground. He whimpered and Savage sucked his lower lip gently before letting their lips parted.

"Are you alright?"

Soft and gentle, yet a bit breathless, voice asked him. Feral, still with his eyes closed, nodded. He could feel his cheeks heated up to the point that he would be very embarrassed right now, so he avoided meeting Savage's eyes. He was not ready, not yet.

"I'm… I'm fine." Feral finally perked his head up, smiled weakly at Savage. Savage was looking at him with such care in those eyes, making Feral felt he needed to say something. And he blurred out "well, um… that's probably my first…" the smaller Zabark stuttered. "My…first… first… yeah…" he didn't know what to say. And then he decided in the middle of the sentence that this might not be the best thing to talk about at this situation. However, Savage did not seem to mind.

"I know." Savage said, massaging Feral's back in such suiting way that had the smaller Zabrak relaxed. "And it wasn't bad at all." He added, smiling.

Feral gulped at Savage's reply. He entirely hadn't expected Savage to say something like that. Something that had him felt both proud and embarrassed at the same time. Also, Feral was slightly curious if Savage had ever kissed someone before. His brother probably had, Feral had heard that there was even a brothel ship traveling from place to place, to offer travellers its service. Yeah, thinking about Savage banging others made Feral felt a bit jealous. However, he pushed his feeling and his thought away quickly. _There aren't mates! I cannot feel like that toward him!_ He mentally grunted at himself.

"Thanks… I guess…" Feral replied slowly, wanting to make sure he would not embarrass himself with his stupidity this time. "…should…. Shouldn't you be guarding the ship and repairing those canons? I um… I will be quiet now, I guess I had interrupted your work and distracted you… yeah…" He trailed off, mentally sighing that he ended up stuttering and embarrassed himself again.

"Oh, I will get back to it immediately." Savage nodded; a smile was on his face liked he knew something Feral did not know. However, Savage let him stand on his own, and now his body was missing the heat from Savage's body already.

True to his words, Savage went back to work. So Feral sat down and watched his brother working. He could still feel Savage's touch on his skin, and it somehow made Feral smiled.

Feral still did not understand why he kissed Savage in the first place. He just did what he felt right. Kissing Savage seemed to be a right thing to do at that time. But right now, he wasn't much sure.

"Don't be afraid brother," Savage suddenly spoke, nearly making Feral jump. "The Force has always chosen the rightest match for every force-sensitive beings. You just have to listen to it. Listen to your instinct, listen to your heart." His brother was still at the same place, but Feral had a feeling that Savage did want to move closer to him.

"I…" Feral sighed. "Savage… I don't even know what you are talking about." He lied, yes, and he knew Savage know. However, his brother just grunted and went back to work. It surprised Feral. Savage wasn't known to be patient when someone was lying.

"Feral, I know you haven't had much experiences with the Force." Savage suddenly said, his voice was firm and smooth. His yellow eyes met Feral's eyes, and the smaller Zabrak could see that they were showing something, probably a feeling that he could not decipher. "Trust me, you better listen to it. It might be hard, at first, then you will get a hang of it. And you will be able to sense me, and what I'm feeling - just likes how I sense you."

Savage then paused and waited for the information to sink in. It did not take long.

"You…you know what I'm thinking?" Feral gasped, a little panicked. He didn't feel like having anyone reading his thought was a good idea.

"No, Feral. I can read only your emotions." Savage shook his head, an amused smile appeared on his face. "I can tell when you're unhappy, afraid, or delighted. I can sense your emotion, and you will be able to sense mine soon." He added, and Feral gulped because he wasn't sure he would be able to do that. "The Force is everywhere. It is the most ancient power that ties everything together. The Force never lies." Savage ended his sentence with another smile.

"I will… try." Feral nodded, leaning against the rock nearby. This was too much for him to take in at a time. First he kissed Savage, then the larger Zabrak said they could read each other thought. No, Savage could read his thought, but he couldn't read Savage's, not yet he guessed.

Feral sighed and turned to his brother. He knew his confusion showed on his face, also the need to gather himself together. He hoped Savage would understand, and he smiled when Savage didn't say anything more, just turning back to the canons.

Feral watched Savage worked, also listening to his surroundings. He didn't sense anything out of particular. There was no one paying attention to their ship or them. That's good.

Feral didn't know how long he had been out there, watching Savage worked. He felt his eyelids became heavy, and kept getting heavier every minutes pass. He tried to force his eyes to stay open, but it's no use. So Feral let them closed, deciding that a little nap would not hurt.

* * *

Feral woke up again to find himself in his bed, wrapped comfortably in a blanket. No wonder why he was inside. Savage must had carried him in after he dozed off.

The smaller Zabrak felt his cheeks reddened up. Right now he didn't feel sleepy at all, so Feral blinked and got up. He looked around and saw that Jeret and Janeta were still sleeping. However, they weren't be sleeping for long, as Jeret slowly waking up and yawn.

Feral watched the male Nautolan stumbled out of his bed, nearly falling face-first to the floor. Jeret yawned again, looking at his watch, before he made his way toward the door. Feral guessed that Savage's shift had ended.

The door slid open and Jeret walked out. Seconds after, the door opened again and Savage walked in. Feral pretended to be asleep as Savage walked toward the bathroom. His brother's expression was neutral, but Feral had a feeling that Savage have already known that he was awaked.

His brother didn't spend his time in the bathroom more than ten minutes. Feral pretended to be asleep as Savage walked out, too afraid and nervous to say anything. He had a feeling Savage knew he was awake, but for some reasons, Savage just climbed up to his bunk without saying a word.

_That's weird. Normally he would be asking me why I don't go to sleep by now._

Feral thought, sitting up. He sighed, before deciding to go out. Jeret might want someone to talk to.

He ended up staying with Jeret until it was time for Janeta's shift. The female Nautolan shooed both of them back to bed before she claimed that she wanted some 'girl's time' alone. So Feral and Jeret left her to her post and went back to bed. Savage appeared to be asleep by the time Jeret and Feral got in. They both yawned and went back to their beds.

Feral did not know how he managed to fall asleep again after so many hours he had spent sleeping. But when he woke up again, the sun had already arrived. Jeret and Janeta were in front of the stove, cooking something. Savage was outside, probably repairing the canons.

"Rise and shine!" Jeret smiled, landed a plate on the table with graceful movement of the novice dancer, which earned him a sigh from Janeta. "Good day Feral. I think we might be able to take off tonight."

"Oh, that's quick." Feral gulped. "Where are we going to?" He asked, slightly feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't ready to get back to Dathomir, not yet.

"I don't know." Jeret shrugged. "We have no plan, and we still have enough credits for 2-3 months."

"We agree to ask you and your brother." Janeta continued, placing more plates on the table. "The breakfast is almost ready, call your brother in."

"Alright." Feral nodded, relieved that they were not heading to Dathomir soon.

Savage was putting all of the tools back into the box when Feral got out of the ship. It seemed like Savage had just finished repairing all of the canons.

"Savage." Feral called, walking down the stairs to where Savage was standing. "The siblings said that breakfast is almost ready. Let's go."

The larger Zabrak turned toward him and nodded, before picking the boxes up. They then made their way back to the ship. Feral felt Savage stared at him all the way up.

"What's wrong?" He decided to ask before they entered the ship. Savage blinked at him, before he smiled.

"We are getting new clothes today." He said, walking passed Feral as the door slid open. "You are getting new clothes today." He added, and immediately made his way to the back of the ship before Feral had time to protest.

Feral tried to say that he is not going to get new clothes anytime soon when Savage told the Nautolans he and Feral are going to the town today. Well, let's say that no one listened to his protest. Janeta even said that Feral should get a new coat and new shoes.

So, in the end Feral ended up on a speeder, sitting behind Savage while his brother made way to the town. And after that they were at the market in no time.

"Whoa, Savage, don't you think this is too expensive?" Feral gulped, looking at the price tag on the coat Savage handed him. "I don't think…"

"Just put it on Feral." Savage grunted, moving around, grabbing more clothes from the shelves around them. "Or I'm getting more clothes for you to try." He smirked, and Feral sighed before putting the coat on. It's very comfortable though, but the price just too insane.

At first Feral thought they were going to visit any random clothes shop at the market. But it turned out that Savage wanted to bring him to the largest shop at the end of the market, which located in a large building. The shop that mostly sold clothes to the noble people and the riches who ruled this cities and its economy.

"Alright." Feral put the coat off, handing it back to Savage. "It's comfortable, but the price is insane. I'm not buying it. We're _not_ buying it." He said, hoping that Savage would listen.

"Credits are for spending, Feral." Savage just shook his head and handed the clothes to the Twi'lek receptionist who followed them around from the distance. Her duty was to assist them when needed. However, most of her job right now was to holding the clothes for them.

"But this is too much." Feral sighed. "Look, we have already picked five shirts, three trousers, and two coats. I don't think we need anything more." He said, crossing his hands in front of his chest. Savage just grinned at him.

In the end they walked out of the shop with two bags filled with clothes. Feral murmuring about they spending too much credits on his clothes, and Savage just shrugged and told him to enjoy his life.

They got back to the ship in no time. Jeret was so glad to announce that the engines were almost ready.

"We can take off tonight." Janeta confirmed her brother's words. "Where should we go? Jeret and I don't have any plans in mind."

Feral looked at Savage, he hoped that his brother would not say they wish to get back to Dathomir immediately.

"There is a waterfall in the other hemisphere of this planet. It's called 'Londora'. I've read about its beauty, but never have a chance to see it by my own eyes." Savage said. "I wish to visit that place, if you all agree."

"Londora waterfall?" Jeret smiled. "I agree! I've heard that there are best pubs of this planet around it too. Let's go as soon as the ship is ready!"

"Alright." Janeta nodded before getting back to the engines. Feral sighed, feeling a lot better knowing that they were not heading to his hometown tonight.

The smaller Zabrak turned to load the clothes he had just brought, forced to buy, by Savage. Well, actually Savage was the one buying, but Feral was too tired to care about the details. He was tired from arguing with Savage, something he should had known that it's he wasn't going to win. Behind them, the door slid open and close, telling that the Nautolans were out working on the engines.

"Feral." Savage said, putting one of the bag down near where Feral was trying to put his clothes into his own bag. "Are you okay?"

Feral wanted to say that he is not, but that's going to be too childish. Besides, it's a stupid thing to angry with your brother, when all he did was taking care of you. Feral sighed, smiling instead.

"I'm alright Savage." He said, folded each cloth neatly, before putting it into the bag. "I just… I'm not sure when will I be ready to go back to Dathomir."

"I'm scheduled to be back there in nine days." Savage suddenly said, which had Feral abruptly turning back. "Actually, it might be seven days - since we have to spend at least three days travelling back to Dathomir."

"I…um…" Feral sighed, sitting on his bed. "I'm not ready Savage. I trust you but I don't trust myself." He shook his head, putting it in his hands. "I'm afraid I will hyperventilate and break down."

"Do not worry." Savage said, and Feral felt the larger Zabrak lowered himself down. He perked up and saw that Savage was sitting on his heels, so now their eyes were at the same level. "You are stronger than you though, Feral. You can get through this. I really want you there, with me, with us."

"I…" Feral opened his mouth and closed it again. "I will think about it."

_As if I have a choice._

He pouted mentally, but he was not a child anymore - so Feral didn't let his distress showed. Savage titled his head, and Feral had a feeling his brother knew what he was feeling, again.

"Feral." Savage sighed, "I know it's hard. But please, tell me what can I do to make you trust me?"

Feral felt his eyes widened. His heart quickened its beat at Savage's words. _What Savage can do to make me trust him? Whoa, wait a sec. How should I know? I don't even know why I kissed him last night!_

_Wait… that's it. I do know how._

"Make me believe you will not snap my neck again." Feral replied, voice slightly shaken. He was trying his best to hold himself together as he spoke. Savage was staring at him now. "Make me believe you don't touch me because you are going to kill me." He whispered, suddenly too afraid and too exhausted to talk any louder. His throat ached, as if there were invisible hands gripping it.

_Last night I kissed Savage. Last night I felt like he could fully trust Savage. Maybe, just maybe, if I felt like trusting Savage to touch him without harming me again, I might be able to trust Savage in everything. _Feral thought, looking at Savage with hope in his eyes. And now he was waiting for Savage to make a move.

"Feral…" Savage stepped closer, his voice trailing off. Feral backed up, before holding himself in place. He gave Savage a chance, now he must let Savage proved himself. The smaller Zabrak could feel himself shaking again.

"Feral, I'm not going to hurt you." The larger Zabrak said, before slowly touching Feral's left forearm. Feral did not flinch. He felt as if there was electrical sparking on his skin. His eyes never left Savage's face.

Savage's left hand was on his right forearm and Feral felt himself relaxed. Savage's hands were large and a bit cooler than he expected. However, Feral liked them. He felt safe in these hands.

"I…can I?" Savage gulped, and Feral suddenly knew what Savage was asking for his permission. So he nodded, and Savaged pulled him into a hug.

It's not lungs crushing hug, just a simple comfortable one. Feral let his hands travelled to rest on Savage's back. He felt Savage's arms tightened and sighed, sinking into the body in front of him.

_Yes, this is not so bad. I can trust him like this._

He smiled to his thought before resting his cheek against the broad shoulder. Feral could feel Savage rumbled in his throat. And then one of Savage's hands was on his lower back, pulling him in even closer.

"Hmmm…" Feral hummed and turned let Savage held him. He felt safe. Yes, this was his brother. A brother who would never hurt him.

"….okay." Feral sighed, decided that it's time to make a decision. "I trust you."

Savage was stiffened the moment that sentence went out of his mouth. Feral gulped. Did he say something wrong?

But then his brother was laughing, a joyful laugh, before he was kissing Feral's forehead and his cheeks. Mumbling 'thank you' over and over before letting Feral out of his embrace.

"Alright big guy." Feral shook his head. He felt like nothing have changed after all. Savage always be like this when he was extremely thankful or jubilant. "You say we have nine days? Let's plan where we are going to go before we have to go Dathomir. I guess there will be a lot of works to do, which you can't guarantee when another vacation will arrive, right?"

Savage's grin told Feral that he was more than delighted.

* * *

Obi-Wan had never thought that this day would come.

The day he went out looking for Darth Maul, no… just Maul now, alright… the day he went looking for Maul because he had been feeling so restless lately. He had tried to meditate, to keep all of the irritations out, but it's no use.

So here he was, on planet called Dyress. A small neutral planet that were inherited by peaceful farmer colonies. Dyress was not far from Dathomir. He didn't have the courage to go there yes. Also, he had a feeling that Maul would be here in a day or two.

After booking a room for himself at a small inn, Obi-Wan went to meditate. He would like to clear his mind before he had to face Maul. Something had been nagging him since the Sith showed up at the temple with his brother in a medical-tank. He could not believe his ears when the former Sith lord offered them his service, as long as the Jedi would save his brother.

At that time Obi-Wan did not know what made Maul so desperate that he seek help from the Jedi. Against Master Windu's concern, Master Yoda said that the Jedi welcomed them in. He then revealed to Obi-Wan later that there was still hope in Maul.

Obi-Wan didn't instantly believe Master Yoda, so he decided to see for himself. Maul was in the medical bay, under the watchful eyes of Master Fisto and Master Plo Koon all the time, watching the medic trying to save his brother. Obi-Wan visited them, and the instant Maul turned to look at him, he saw it in Maul's eyes.

_Care, toward his brother. And something unidentified for Obi-Wan._

But he knew right then and there that Maul was not going to back-stab them, if they did not do it to him first.

Obi-Wan remembered himself going to sit on the same bench as Maul, but in the different side. They stayed like that for nearly an hour, before he decided to speak up.

"I've never expected you to help us." He said, glancing Maul's way. Even sitting on the same bench, Obi-Wan knew they both were not comfortable enough to sit any nearer. "To be honest, I have never thought we will meet without fighting each other."

"The situation has changed." Maul replied. His voice was smooth and emotionless. There was that unidentified shadow in Maul's eyes again. And it disappeared before Obi-Wan could take a good look.

There was no more conversation between them that day. Obi-Wan left in the evening to attend another meeting with the Jedi council. They all agreed to keep Maul and his brother's arrival as a secret.

The next day Maul revealed everything he knew about the Sith to them, also about who was the greatest Sith at this time. This news shocked many of them, also Yoda. But after the Jedi masters had spending days meditated, they all agreed to Maul's words. Maul also revealed the plan of Order66. Captain Rex, the only clone who knew about Maul in Coruscant volunteered for the doctor at the temple to check his brain. And after a careful examining, they found the small implants that would turn the clones against the Jedis.

Obi-Wan remembered Anakin, Master Yoda, Master Windu, and he spent hours talking to Senator Amidala and Senator Organa. They must revealed the Darth Sidious's plan before everything was too late. And they had to move quickly. An operation was secretly giving to the clones in each legions. Once they knew where the implants were, it's easy to put them out. Master Shaak Ti and Master Plo Koon, along with some of the officers they trusted most, went to Kamino to secretly sorting things out.

Maul told them all he knew about Sidious. After that it's up to the Jedi to confront the dark lord. They choose to confront him at the Factory District of Coruscant, where Sidious held meeting with Count Dooku. The battle was bloody and chaos. Maul joined them and nearly got himself killed by Sidious. Some of the Jedi also died trying to kill Sidious before the dark lord was taken care of by Master Yoda. However, the oldest Jedi had to sacrifice one of his arms before he could kill Sidious.

Dooku escaped but that's not their concern as they were too weak after the battle. Master Windu and Master Luminara spent weeks in the tank in the medical bay, while Obi-Wan and Anakin spent two weeks there. Maul, who was injured from the battle but was still able to walk, visited them sometimes. The red Zabrak always came to watch them sleep and went on with his business. That's when Obi-Wan started to feel a warmness in his heart. Strange warmness that had him smiled.

While most of the Jedis were still in the medical bay, Senator Amidala and Senator Organa, along with their allied senators, showed the Galactic council and everyone in the Galactic Empire about Order66.

They blamed everything on the Separatist, especially count Dooku, and also saying that Chancellor Palpatine's death was by Dooku's hand. They made the council believed that many Jedis were injured trying to protect the chancellor, and that Dooku was to blame for everything. They also dragged all his allies in the council out in front with proves Maul and the Jedi council gave them. [Of course they never said about Maul, that's going to bring more confusions and complications to the council and their people.]

Obi-Wan didn't know how long until it took the council to vote what they were going to do next. But Senator Organa eventually became the new Chancellor. His first order was to make sure there was no Order66 implants on each clones anymore. After that, Kamino was swamped with Jedis who could still operate and the authorities they could trust. The Sith's allies in Kamino, who responsible in planting Order66 into the clones' heads, were all revealed and thrown to jail. Obi-Wan didn't keep track of time after that. He knew Senator Organa would be a good Chancellor.

He kept thinking more and more about the red Zabrak instead. Anakin always teased him about his solemn face when he tried to think about Maul and the strange feeling nagging at him from the inside. Master Fisto had come to tell him to relax. The Nautplan Jedi had talked to Maul a lot. Maybe he was the only Jedi comfortable with keeping his eyes on Maul and keeping the red Zabrak company at the same time.

According to Fisto, the place Maul would like to visit most was the garden. The former Sith was forbidden to enter the higher floor, nor the library. He got his room near the medical bay, and only had accessed to the medical bay level and the lower floor of it. Different Jedis accompanied Maul for each days, except for the days Maul spent in the Medical bay after the attack on Sidious.

Obi-Wan tried to talk to Maul after he could walk around by himself. His first attempt to talk to Maul was to say 'Good afternoon' to the Sith who was sitting in front of his brother's bed. Savage was allowed out of the tank and was now on recovering program.

He remembered Maul turned to glare at him, before the glare disappeared. The former Sith lord just replied his greeting and turned his gaze back to Savage.

"Well, may I ask what will you do next?" Obi-Wan asked, feeling awkward to stand silently in front of a bed. He knew this was not the best thing to ask.

"Going to the Outer Rim, of course." Maul replied, his eyes never left his brother. "I believe you have heard my agreement and your terms of our deal."

"I've heard of it." Obi-Wan nodded. He was there when Maul bargained with them, at the hanger bay with the tank that contained his brother.

They stayed silent for a while before Obi-Wan asked Maul about his training. It's not that he wanted to pry on Maul's business. But given that Maul killed his Master, Obi-Wan could not help wanting to know the thing or two anyway.

Maul did tell him about his childhood, about planet Mustafar, and about his training. Obi-Wan listened with neutral expression on his face. He could sense Maul's anger and pain hiding deep inside. Raising up one child with no love and care resulted in a killing machine. He hoped no one would have to suffer the same fate as Maul. Actually, he thought Savage should take the credit of bring Maul back to the light. If not for Savage, Maul would be completely lost.

Maul didn't ask him about him about the Jedi's training, which made Obi-Wan felt so relieved. They talked about battles, about strategy, and sometimes just nothing at all. Obi-Wan would be lying if he said he did not appreciate Maul's company, and he knew Maul was feeling the same.

They met every day after that. Some day they just sitting side by side, watching the wind made all the leaves in the garden danced. Obi-Wan felt something nagging at his side. The Force had something to tell him, to which he hadn't figured it out yet. He felt the need to feel more of Maul. He felt the need to interact with Maul in such closeness that all Jedis were taught to be careful of. He felt the dark edge of Maul's mind dancing against his sometimes. Maul wasn't going to lure him into the dark, he just wanted Obi-Wan to feel it sometimes, and Obi-Wan was cool with that.

The more they spending time together, the more Obi-Wan felt their connection building. It's both terrifying and fascinating at the same time, as how he manage to be attached to Maul - and Maul to him – in such short period of time. They both said nothing about it though.

The day of Maul and Savage's departing was the first day Obi-Wan ever experienced such pain. It slipped through his vain without warning, gripping at his heart, tearing it apart. The pain was even greater than which he felt when Maul killed Satine.

The pain lessened after two days. But Obi-Wan could still feel it sometimes, especially when he was alone, but overall it was getting better. However, without his knowing, it was slowly replaced with restlessness.

Obi-Wan pushed them aside of course, and continued his duty as a Jedi for months, until he finally could not bear it. He needed answers. And he knew where to find it.

Obi-Wan sighed as he got up from the floor. He could sense the light presence of Maul, even that he wasn't on the same planet yet. He wasn't sure if Maul would get a massage, but he had a feeling the Zabrak would.

"I really need to talk to you." Obi-Wan sighed, walking to watch the city from the window in his room. A normal day for people in Dyress. He hoped this peaceful time of this planet would last forever.

In the back of his mind, he felt Maul's rumbling deep from a far.

The Zabrak had got his massage.

And he is coming.


	6. Chapter 6

"Whoa, it's huge!" Feral shouted as he hold on to the railing of the tourist ship. Behind him was Savage and Jeret, and in front of Feral was a huge waterfall. Below them was a crystal clear lake with large native fishes and the most beautiful shore Feral had ever seen. There were lakes and waterfall on Dathomir, but not as beautiful as this.

"Told ya." Jeret smiled before turning to flirt with a group of Twi'lek tourists near them. Savage shook his head. He should have known that Jeret could be too socialize sometimes. Well, on the bright side he got to spend time alone with Feral. Maybe he should thank Jeret instead.

"Like the view?" Savage asked as he sat near the railing, watching Feral enjoying their trip to the waterfall. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited. All his life had been devoted to fighting and preparing for wars that might or might not come, seeing Feral relaxed like this did help making him felt satisfied.

"Very much." Feral nodded, before turning toward Savage. A happy smile on his face. "I hope there was a waterfall liked this in Dathomir. I'd love to live near it."

"Do you want to swim?" Savage suddenly asked, eyeing the large lagoon which was supplied by the waterfall. There were tourists swimming and playing in the water; it should not be a problem if Feral wanted to get in the lagoon too. They didn't get to do that very often on Dathomir.

"I…" Feral's cheeks reddened, "…yes."

"Go then." Savage replied, he kind of knew what his brother was thinking. "We have all day to ourselves." He added, trying to act like he didn't see anything.

"But…" Feral frowned, biting his lips. Savage wondered what was in his brother's mind. Then Feral spoke. "You don't want to swim?"

"I would rather stay here to make sure everything is…normal." Savage said, gesturing toward Jeret who barely escaped the fight with the boyfriend of the female Twi'lek he just flirted with. And now he was moving to the next one. "Unless you want me to join you, of course." Savage added as he turned back to look at Feral.

"I prefer the later." Feral replied shyly. And he was blushing slightly. "Jeret can take care of himself. He will be fine."

"If you say so." Savage nodded, before he stripped himself out of his shirt and threw it on the rock nearby. Feral did the same before they jumped into the water below.

Savage had never thought that swimming could be this enjoyable, but now he had a nice view of Feral. His brother was swimming around, smiling and giggling as small fish swam around him from pure curiosity. And when he was above water with small drops of water clinging to him, that's what really made Savage's heart skipped beat.

* * *

Obi-Wan had a feeling that Maul was close.

He tried to calm his mind. The Jedi was still in his meditating form with his legs crossed under him.

_Maul was close. He probably just entered the planet's atmosphere._

Obi-Wan tried to lock himself away as he felt Maul's presence coming nearer and nearer. The Zabrak was different from the first time Obi-Wan met him. Maul in the past was full with rage, bloodlust, and darkness.

Of course Obi-Wan still sensed darkness in him - but there was also the light - and instead of a storm of anger, he felt calmness. Calmness was what he had never thought this former Sith lord could possess.

It was the love for his brother that pulled Maul to ask for the Jedi's help. And with that, Maul had finally seen the way of the light. Right now the Zabrak was something between the light and the dark, just like Ventress. However, Maul was a darker shade of grey than her, he had been raising by the evil from the start; unlike Ventress who was once taught by the way of the light.

Obi-Wan could feel Maul's presence became clearer and nearer. He drew in deep breath and tried to relax. He had to be calm. He knew Maul came with an answer he was seeking, but he also had a feeling that Maul's answers would give him more questions rather than relief.

An hour later, there was a knock on his door. Obi-Wan released the air he had been holding, shifting a bit and cleared his throat.

"Come in." He said, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking.

The door slid open, and Maul entered the room. The former Sith was in simple dark clothes with a hood.

The Zabrak walked in without saying anything. The door slid shut and they were now looking at each other. Obi-Wan gestured toward a mat in front of him, and Maul slowly sat down.

No one said anything, until Obi-Wan decided to break the silent.

"I believe you've already known the reason of why I visit this small planet." He said, making sure his expression was neutral. Maul looked at him, before the Sith replied with a silk-liked voice. So soft, yet still hiding something.

"I do believe that I know." Maul said, leaning slightly further toward Obi-Wan. "Yet I want to hear it from you."

"I…" Obi-Wan replied, and this was one of the very few times he was reluctant to proceed the conversation. It took him a split second to arrange the words. "We have formed a bond." He said and paused, waiting for the Zabrak's response.

"We did." Maul said, his eyes had never left Obi-Wan. "And it's still there." His voice was a bit lower than normal, but Obi-Wan ignored it – concluding that it was just how Maul talked.

"I'm not sure if it's healthy for us." He decided to get straight to the point, even that he still wasn't sure about the bond himself; about what the bond actually represented. "It caused… some difficulties. I assume that you might have experienced something too, right?"

"I would like you to clarify those 'difficulties'." Maul said, and Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that Maul was in a mood to play.

"Not until you answer my question first." He said, making sure his voice held no threats nor annoyance. "Have you experienced something from it?"

"I've experienced a lot of things." Maul replied, leaning back with a grin. "Emotions, feelings, and sometimes a voice, _your voice_."

Obi-Wan was sure that there were hidden meanings behind all of this. But since Maul didn't seem to be thinking about revealing them, so Obi-Wan decided to play along.

"My voice? That's surprising." Obi-Wan said, stroking his chin. "Do you have any theories for this?"

"I've one theory." Maul said, but he was grinning. "Yet I think you owe me something."

"I felt unknown pain. It was slightly preventing me from performing my normal routines." Obi-Wan replied. He was determine to be honest, knowing that Maul – like all Siths – were sensitive to dark thoughts of people's minds. Siths were raised and taught to be backstabbers, so they were very quick to notice any changes, shifts, or appearing of dark thoughts; lies were one of them.

"Can you describe the pain you experience?" Maul asked softly, almost leaning in again. Obi-Wan felt like the former Sith was scanning him.

"I don't know where it came from, but it started the day you…left Coruscant. It was…nearly unbearable at first, but it faded. I still feel it sometimes. Tenuously." Obi-Wan said, knowing that his voice was a bit higher from excitement and unsureness. He wasn't the person who could easily be open about himself, it's not what most Jedi were capable of.

"Interesting, but not unexpected." Maul nodded, his eyes had never left Obi-Wan. And it made the Jedi master felt slightly insecure in a strangely good way. "But first, I want you to promise you're not going to pass out."

"Oh, that very hurts. Do you really believe that anything can shock me more than you're still alive?" Obi-Wan grinned, enjoying the way Maul rolled his eyes. Months ago he wouldn't be acting like he and Maul were good friends, but with what they had shared and been through together, Obi-Wan was a lot at ease with the red Zabrk. "Come on, tell me."

"Death-Cheaters are believed to have a mate chosen for them by the Force, a lifetime mate. This ability comes early, just as soon as our full physical potentials are activated. Or, to cut it short, as soon as we know we're Death-Cheater." Maul replied. His voice was smooth, but his eyes were filled with mixed emotions Obi-Wan wasn't sure he could identify all of them. "When we and our lifetime mates meet each other, a bond will be formed. And if we part way with our lifetime mates before the bond is fully formed, we will feel the pain and the longing for each other." Maul ended a sentence with an intense gaze.

_Death-Cheaters are believed to have a mate chosen for them by the Force, a lifetime mate._

…_if we part way with our lifetime mates before the bond is fully formed, we will feel the pain…_

Obi-Wan gasped. This was totally not what he had expected. "That's not possible." Obi-Wan shook his head. "You have to be kidding me." He tried to smile, but Maul's expression stayed the same.

"I was not. I also feel the pain." Maul shook his head. "Our bond was formed without us knowing, and it cannot be undone."

"You're saying that there is no way to get rid of it?" Obi-Wan felt his eyes widened. So, the thing that had been bugging at him for weeks was simply a bond, a bond that formed between them without permission. Obi-Wan didn't want to believe this. He wanted to refuse, but deep down he knew he had to, at some point. The Force could be cruel and merciful at the same time. Or maybe it thought that pairing him with his former nemesis was a good idea.

Yet it didn't mean that he must agree to it right now, Obi-Wan grimaced. It's possible that he and Maul could be friend, but a lifetime mate? That's hilarious. They didn't even know each other that well.

"Can you get rid of the Force?" Maul replied his question with a look that Obi-Wan would give to a youngling when they made a funny mistake in their lightsaber training. The Jedi sighed. He knew Maul could be snarky in the way that would definitely piss Mace Windu off. At some point, his mind tried to create a scenery that Maul had bonded with Windu, but decided not to continue.

"I suppose I will have to put up with it" Obi-Wan said, meeting Maul's eyes. He felt as if he now knew what were behind the Zabrak's eyes. "Unless you have another plan." He added, knowing that Maul did have something in his mind.

"I do," The Zabrak said. "There is a reason why the Force pairs us together," Maul continued, his vice remain calm and neutral; it scared Obi-Wan a bit. "I wish to know about it. The question is; do you want to explore it too?"

Obi-Wan knew the true meaning behind Maul's words, and the Zabrak's question shook him to the core. Obi-Wan knew he quiet wish to know the reason too. But the way to achieve that answer might change him from who he was, and Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he wanted to change.

"By 'exploring', is it necessary that we have to stick together as we 'explore'?" Obi-Wan made sure his voice was still calm as he spoke. He could see something in Maul's eyes shifted, and it made his heart sped up.

"I want us to do it together, but it's up to you too." Maul replied. His voice made Obi-Wan wanted to get closer to the former Sith Lord.

"Is this my imagination, or you're going soft on me?" Obi-Wan grinned despite the turmoil in his mind. Half of him wanted to stay with Maul, the other half wanted to go back to Coruscant before the bond was completely form. _Who knows what will happen after that? We won't work out as a couple. He was a Sith, and I am a Jedi. It's a miracle that, after years of being rivals, now we can have a conversation without lightsabers pointing toward each other._

"Imagination is a delusion, Kenobi," Maul chuckled. His voice was so smooth, liked always. "Yet it has so much power over most people."

"It's true." Obi-Wan nodded. At first he was slightly afraid that Maul would get angry, but it seemed that the Sith was a lot better than he had thought. Or it might be a calm sky before a storm, he had to proceed with caution.

"Since you have come this far, Kenobi. Maybe you should visit Dathomir." Maul spoke up, and it surprised Obi-Wan that the former Sith decided to change the subject. He thought that Maul would be more stubborn. "I guarantee you that it will worth your time."

"Well, you're very persuasive." Obi-Wan sighed, smiling. Whatever Maul had in mind, he was glad that the Zabrak decided to drop the subject about their growing bond. He wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

* * *

Savage watched as his brother walked around the ship, humming a song they heard when they were young. Jeret and Janeta were at the cockpit, piloting the ship, as if they knew Savage wished to have sometimes alone with his brother.

"So, where we will be going tomorrow?" Feral asked as he finished putting every food supply in place. He looked so bright and happy.

"I don't know." Savage shrugged, smiling. "What about you? What do you want to see?" He asked, walking toward Feral who was looking at the world below them through the window.

"I… I don't know." Feral shook his head. "I…. everything is so new to me. I don't even know what I want to try first."

"I know that feelings." Savage smiled, gently spun his brother so they were face to face. "Well, do you want to see a circus show? I've heard that there is going to be one in town lately."

"A circus?" Feral raised his eyebrows, clearly excited and curious. "That's great!" He smiled, and Savage knew his heart was melting under that warm smile. Oh Force, how come he had never seen how gorgeous Feral was.

"So it's settled." Savage said, trying his best not to just bend down and kiss his brother right then and there. "I will let the Nautolans know."

Then he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Feral's hand on his arm.

"I will tell them." Feral said casually, but Savage could sense that the other Zabrak was up to something. He could almost feel the sped up heart rate, and waited to see what Feral had in mind.

The smaller Zabrak just looked at him. Savage could see determination mixed with hesitation, before Feral looped one arm around his neck and pulled him down to a soft kiss. But before Feral could pull away, Savage deepened the kiss. His arms sneaked around his brother body and held the smaller Zabrak close. To his surprise, Feral moaned and melt into him. Savage grinned against his brother's soft lips, tightening his embrace. He could feel Feral shuddered, and then his brother was _mewling_ \- which made blood ran straight toward his groin.

"Feral" Savage growled against his brother's lips. "If we don't stop soon…"

Feral gave a frustrated moan but pulled away immediately. The smaller Zabrak's face was reddened and his shy mixed with heated sexual expression, and he was panting slightly, which made Savage want nothing but to dominate and devour the other. Feral looked so edible in a sexual way, but he restrained himself, knowing that Feral wasn't ready for that.

"Thank you." Feral whispered, giving him a genuine smile, then he was walking away toward the cockpit, leaving Savage still stunned in place.

It took a few more second for Savage to catch up to what just happened. And it made him sighed, scratching his head.

"You're going to be the dead of me." Savage sighed, watching Feral disappeared behind the automatic door. He was about to follow, only be stopped by a sharp voice signalling that Maul was calling.

"Brother." Savage walked toward the storage before he accepted the call. He had a feeling that there was going to be something interesting happened.

'Savage.' A hologram of his brother spoke. His voice was still as stern and cold as ever, yet Savage could sense something different in it. 'I'm bringing a guest to Dathomir.'

"Who is this guest, brother?" Savage asked, even that his instinct already knew whom the guest might be.

'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Maul replied. His face still showed no expression, but there were mixed feelings and emotions in his eyes. Savage mentally smiled, now he knew who was going to be his brother-in-law.

* * *

Obi-Wan sighed as he laid down on a bunk bed in the corner of the room. He still wasn't sure of why he was going to Dathomir with Maul, yet his instinct said that it's a good decision.

Not so far away from him, Maul was in the pilot seat. He finished setting the ship to go into a hyperspace before walking away from the control panel.

"Sleepy already?" The red Zabrak asked as he sat down on a chair not so far away. Obi-Wan could saw that friendly smirk, and he knew Maul wasn't going to actually let him sleep, not now.

"Sleep is my priority when I'm not in a battlefield." Obi-Wan replied, lying and smiling back. "You know, if you're unable to sleep properly for a while, you'll look older that you really are."

"By your standard." Maul chuckled. "Come on, you know better than that."

"I…" Obi-Wan sighed, he knew he couldn't fool Maul. Not when they were linked with an eternal bond like this. "…I prefer to do something simple when I have a lot to think about. Laying down and do nothing physically is, of course, one of that."

"I see." Maul massaged his chin, mimicking what Obi-Wan always did when he was thinking. "So, tell me Kenobi, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing important." Obi-Wan replied. He was torn between telling Maul the truth or brushing it off. It's not that he could totally trust this Zabrak, not yet anyway. But the look in Maul eyes told Obi-Wan that the Zabrak wasn't going to drop it.

"Obi-Wan. You're a terrible liar." Maul said, and oh how could he make Obi-Wan's name sounded so sexy on his tongue. Obi-Wan gulped, trying his best not to let Maul knew how his voice had an effect on him.

"I've been told, hmmm." Obi-Wan sighed, sitting up and faced the Zabrak who was watching him with calculating eyes. "I just… I'm trying to warp my head around what happened. I felt like it was yesterday when you arrived at the Temple with your brother in a bacta tank."

"Really?" Maul raised his eyebrows, and Obi-Wan knew that Maul wasn't going to let him go unless he spilled out everything in his mind.

"Okay, fine." Obi-Wan sighed, massaging his temples. "Okay… I was thinking…about us. About what we really should do. I think you decide to take it slow, and I appreciate that, but this is definitely not going to work." He paused to see if he had angered Maul, but the Zabrk stayed calm. So he went on. "I am a Jedi, and you're…a former Sith. We are clearly not going to work. I'm sorry."

Maul was silent after he finished. Obi-Wan wondered if he had angered Maul and the former Sith was thinking about a way to kill him. Yet all the Zabrak did was sighing.

"You need to be less concerned about what the future might hold, Obi-Wan." Maul shook his head, a soft smile on his lips; something completely new for Obi-Wan. "I cannot undo what the Force had done. You should know that already." The Zabrak then stood up and walked closer to where Obi-Wan was sitting. "I cannot change my lifetime mate. We both can't." He simply said and just stood there, waiting for Obi-Wan's response.

"It's very illogical." Obi-Wan replied, looking Maul in his strange yet alluring yellow eyes. "The Force might be wrong."

"It might be." Maul nodded, "but who knows? We still have a lot of times to explore such ancient power. You can deny it, you can tell yourself you don't want it. But I have a feeling that, deep down, you're curious." He ended a sentence with a grin.

"I won't lie that I'm not curious." Obi-Wan replied, feeling as if he was leaning forward. "But I live by logics and the Jedi Code. No attachment is allowed."

"You need to loosen up old man." Maul rolled his eyes, before pulling away. "You can ponder all you want about the Force. I know it seems to be impossible for us to work, but the Force has its reasons. And that's what we will be seeking."

"Firstly, I'm not that old," Obi-Wan replied. "And secondly, you're as old as me." He added, and watched in satisfaction as Maul rolled his eyes in annoyance again. Yet there was a cocky grin on the Zabrak's face.

Well, this trip to Dathomir might be better than he had thought.

* * *

Obi-Wan felt like he just stepping his foot on Maul's ship as they reached Dathomir. Time flew quicker when he let himself lost into a conversation. Maul told him about how he and Savage rebuilt the clan. Obi-Wan had to admit that he was impressed, since he always thought that the only thing Maul was good at was violence.

They landed on a platform that was actually a large flat rock. Obi-Wan took a deep breath as he followed Maul out of the ship. His experience in Dathomir wasn't a good one, since both the Nightsister and Nightbrother seemed so eager to kill him. Yet this time, he was greeted with soft smiles and curious eyes.

"Kaliz." Maul greeted a Nightsister who walked toward them. She dressed like other Nightsister, but had pale red hair and purple eyes. And liked most Nightsister, her hair was kept short.

"Maul." The Nightsister bowled slightly, looking at Obi-Wan with curiosity in her eyes. "So, this is the guest you mentioned?"

"Yes." Maul nodded, walked toward the mountain which was also their village. Obi-Wan saw many Nightbrothers and Nightsisters around, working together. "I assume that everything function normally while I was gone?" Maul's voice was casually, but Obi-Wan felt that if Kaliz lied, the Zabrak would not be hesitated to dissemble her.

"Yes." Kaliz nodded. "We've finished building a new silo and those several extends. We should have enough place to accompany the-soon-to-be our new members." She smiled, gesturing toward the village with a knowing look. And Maul smiled to. Obi-Wan was curious about what they were talking about, but decided not to ask.

They walked passed the gate into the large cave inside the mountain. There was many Nightsisters and Nightbrothers in there, working together. Obi-Wan scanned the village from the top and noticed exits to the outside where he hadn't seen in his last visited to this place.

"We're extending the village." Maul said as if he could read Obi-Wan's mind. "Living outside the mountain also have its benefit, since we now plant corps as same as hunting."

Kaliz excused herself after a while, and Maul took Obi-Wan on a tour around the village. Obi-Wan could tell that Maul was undoubtedly proud of what he had achieved. The village looked even better in Maul cared. There was no slavery, no double standard between males and females. Also, Obi-Wan was surprised by the wipes he felt from the members of the clan. None of the Nightsisters were opposed to Maul's idea. They agreed with him.

"Not every Nightsister prefer slavery, Master Jedi." Maul said as if he read Obi-Wan;s mind, again. "Most of them were casted out by Mother Talzin, and some survived by running away before their fortress was destroyed and roamed by droids. Their loyalty toward Talzin wasn't that strong."

"I see," Obi-Wan nodded, and he also noticed a few things. "And…I think I know who the 'new members' you've talked about are." He gestured toward one Nighsister walking passed them. She looked just like any NIghtsister, but with a noticeable enlarging of her stomach. She was pregnant, and so as half the Nightsister Obi-Wan saw here.

"Well, sexual intercourse was one of the most restricted actions in the old days." Maul shrugged, grinning. "With Mother Talzin gone, along with some of the old strict codes, the Nightsisters are now allowed to enjoy sexes as what it is, not just an activity they had to commit when they were told to multiply. They had a chance to choose a mate, and how they want to live together, not casting the Nighbrother out as soon as they had conceived. Their love also wasn't restricted to be for only Nightsisters anymore."

"I see." Obi-Wan nodded, smiling. He had never thought that Maul would come this far, both physically and mentally. "You did a good job. I'm impressed." He also sent more a genuine smile.

"Thank you." Maul returned the smile, which Obi-Wan didn't expect him to do so. "Come, there was a lot more to see." He nudged softly at Obi-Wan's side, and Obi-Wan returned it with a playful nudge as he followed Maul around the village.


End file.
